


Rusted Fairy

by ReeAni



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-04-22 22:19:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 45,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14318349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReeAni/pseuds/ReeAni
Summary: As a member of Fairy Tail, Talise tries her best to live life as best as she can. With the craziness that is the guild and rivals... can she be with the one she loves? Or will she be heartbroken one more time.





	1. From There To Here

       Far away, in a secluded green forest, was a small shed. Or what appeared to be a shed. It was a couple of slabs of wood and several holes cut out to look like windows. It was an overall poorly shack that wasn’t sturdy looking. The small breezes that pass by were able to make the shabby hut swayed back and forth.

There was some rustling within the shed before the front door opened and out came a young girl with long blueish hair. She surveyed the area, even checking the sky above. Her head was up for quite awhile before she saw nothing. With a long sigh she left her hut.

The girl traveled west for a good while before the grassland started appearing with a variety of large thick trees. Taking a left, she went past a large boulder, and kept on walking till she came upon more trees surrounding a large lake. It was pristine. Its glistening water mirrored the puffy clouds and baby blue sky. The young girl took no time taking her peasant dress off and went in the water with a loud splash. She came up with a blissful sigh. The lukewarm water was just the thing to sooth her.

Time wasn’t a factor. She spent hours playing by herself in the pond without a care. It was a little while later when something felt off. The girl sensed a pair of eyes staring at her. She stopped what she was doing and immediately dipped herself in the water. Who could have found her? No one, besides her and her father, knew of the area. At least that’s what she was told.

The girl hoped it wasn’t someone dangerous. Her father had told her exactly what do to if she was in any danger, but the thought of being in danger made her forget what she needed to do. There was no knowing who her spectator was with her backside to them. So she turned around.

But no one was there.

Her heart was racing. She felt relieved and scared at the same time. But above all else, she was confused. She for sure felt someone was here. Out of nowhere, the young girl was roughly lifted out of the water, and thrown into the deeper part of the pond. Rough laughter was heard as the girl came back up the surface.

She glared hard at her assailant. “That’s not funny daddy!!”

Her father grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. “It was to me, child.” The girl crossed her arms with a pout. He let out a few more chuckles then beckoned her to him. “Get dressed, I fetched you dinner.”

The girl was confused. She looked at the sky and noticed it wasn’t blue anymore but a dull red-orange. She got out of the pond and did as she was told. The two then headed back to the shed where a pile of roasted meat was waiting. The girl hugged her father with joy and ran to what was her meal.

“Thank y–” She stopped herself.

Turning around was the biggest mistake she ever made. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Tears were forming in her eyes.

He was gone.

       Talise gasped as she woke up. Her mind was a blur. She took a moment to breathe, before she sat up and realized she was in bed. Her eyes scanned the large and lonely room. Right in front of her was a writing desk, and a chair, both badly worn out. To her left was a dresser with most of the drawers half open. Several of them had all kinds of clothes and junk sticking out. Further down were two doors semi-opened, and a bookcase, a third full of books and knick knacks.

She took it all in and sighed with relief. Talise recognized her bedroom. Her eyes gazed at the blue curtains, to her left; light barely hitting the cloth. She’d guess the sun was barely coming up. The girl sighed once again and pushed the comforter wrapping her. Talise yelped as the cold had wafted over her exposed skin. It may be summer but the mornings were as cold as winter. Talise rubbed her naked arms as she stood in front of her window. With one push, she saw she was right. The sun wasn’t even up. All she saw was a dark gray sky and the outline of the trees that surrounded her home. Talise groaned. She woke up too early. And she knew well sleep wasn’t going to come back to her. She closed her curtains and begrudgingly headed for the bathroom.

About an hour later, Talise was in her kitchen finishing up her breakfast. She brushed off any remaining crumbs off her shirt before heading to the front door. Talise took one last look at herself in the mirror near the front before she went out. The sun was barely making any light above the treetops as she locked her door. Talise pocketed her key and followed the barely made dirt path into the trees.

Five minutes later, she came out of the woods and saw the beautiful town of Magnolia. She went over the stone bridge and waved to a small group of people, out on the river, tugging a large bundle of fish onto their boat. Heading straight she turned on the corner of Orangefair and kept north until she reached a three-story building with a huge wooden sign that read Fairy Tail.

Talise opened up the pair of doors and was met with an empty room. The heels of her boots echoed off the wooden floor as she made her way to the bar. “Hello!”

It took a second before she heard shuffling from the second floor. Up above was the always joyful Mirajane in her usual red and pink dress. “Good Morning Tali.” She gave her a grand smile before heading downstairs to her. “You’re here early.”

“Yea… I… woke up early. Is anyone else here?” Talise said changing the subject.

“Just us,” Mirajane’s face turned devious as she went behind the bar, “why?”

Talise rolled her eyes. She knew what she was getting at. “I’m just asking.”

Mirajane giggled. “Well… a little birdie told me a certain someone came back last night.” She made a small grin when red creep onto Talise’s face. “There’s no doubt that he’ll be coming in today… unless, he already stopped by–”

“Wow!! Will you look at the time!?” Talise looked at her bare wrist. “I better start prepping before everyone comes in!” She then ran through the pair of doors next to the bar. 

Mirajane stared at the swinging doors. The corner of her lips twitching in amusement as the girl hid herself in the guild’s kitchen.

Talise leveled her breathing as she tried to calm down. Her face was hot from the mage’s teasing. She was well aware that everyone in the guild knew of her crush. That is, everyone who was smart enough to know. But that didn’t mean she didn’t like it when people pointed out the obvious. Despite all that, deep down, she was really happy. She was going to see him today after what seemed like an eternity. A smile grew on her face as her thoughts went to him.

“Tali, I don’t hear you moving about. Stop daydreaming about your future husband and get to work.” Mirajane said playfully from the other room.

The cook frowned as Mira’s voice broke through her thoughts. “I’m getting to it!!” she yelled back. With a small growl she pull back her black wavy curls in a tight bun, and got set to prep for the day’s meals.

* * *

       The mornings were usually slow. Not many choose to wake up early and come in, unless it was to meet up for a job request. It’s around noon when the guild gets crawling with people, all loud and active. As Talise went back to the kitchen doors to fulfill an order, she got greeted by two fingers prodding her sides.

She jumped and let out a yelp when she felt the ticklish pressure. Her face went red from the sudden attack. She was ready to yell at whoever had the gull to do that, but then dropped it when she saw her assailant laughing. Talise froze as she stared at Gray. She bowed her head. She was slightly mad at herself for thinking of hurting Gray for a second. Her face was then flushed with pink when she felt a hand on her head.

“Sorry Tails, but I couldn’t let the chance pass by.” Gray grinned as he heard her mumbled, “It’s my fault… not paying attention.” He let out a chuckled and messed around with the top of her head some more. “How you been?”

“I’ve… been good.” she muttered. She went absolutely stiff as he started stroked the top of her bun. Talise mentally groaned. She knew she was a total mess from working. He had to come in during her busiest hour. Why couldn’t he have come in the morning? Talise heard giggling nearby and knew Mirajane was taking joy out of her embarrassment. That made her lowered her head. “I–I need to–to get back… to–to work.” she struggled to say.

Gray nodded. “Sure.” He moved his hand away, making Talise somewhat sad. “Mind if you make me my usual?”

Talise looked at him as he smiled. His handsome face made her nod her head dumbly and headed back to the kitchen. But before she went inside, Talise caught Mirajane giving her a mischievous grin. She was left with a sour note as she entered her domain. Talise rubbed her face, hoping the humiliation would come off of her.

As she tried to curse Mirajane from inside her little kitchen she heard a loud booming voice scream, “WE’RE BACK!!”

Her ears twitched. There was only one person in the entire guild who loved to make an entrance loud enough to wake the dead. It was then that Talise heard a series of cries and what sounded like many things being broken. She stopped what she was doing and sighed annoyingly. Moving back to the door, there was a good sized first aid kit nearby, which she took and prayed that no one needed her assistance. She took a deep breath and looked at the damage outside.

It was pretty bad.

Left and right, up and down; everyone was in some sort of brawl. Talise groaned. She knew she was going to be the one cleaning up the mess. That left a bad mark on her. “I’m going to kill Natsu.”

“It’s not so bad.” said Mirajane as she walked towards her with a tray of mugs. “Remember six months ago.”

Talise cringed at the memory resurfacing. “I wish I couldn’t.” She remembered that day very well.

When hell broke loose.

Natsu challenged everyone at the moment to an all out, no rules brawl. Talise was surprised when all twenty-five mages had accepted Natsu’s request. Usually some, if not most, ignored the idiot’s challenges. But that day everyone who was in the guild joined in except her and Mirajane. The two of them couldn’t do a thing. Erza went out on a mission and Master Makarov was away at a conference and wouldn’t come back till the next day. They could only let them be and finish their fight.

But when it was over, the place was in shreds.

The walls and floor were brutally smashed, burnt, and filled with holes. The basement was trashed and flooded. Three pillars were taken down during the fight: one in the basement and two on the first floor. The tables and bar were gone, as well as half of the second story and the front of the kitchen. When the Master came back he was enraged that everyone almost destroyed the guild. So much, that the idiots were banned from taking missions until the guild was fixed. It took about half a month to restore it back to the way it was. But what pissed her off was that she and Mirajane did most of the repair and cleaning. And they weren’t even involved in the fight.

Talise scrunched up her nose. Oh how she hated everyone for those two and half weeks, even Gray. She didn’t speak or made eye contact with him for the entire time Fairy Tail was under renovation.

“Oh! We have a newcomer.” Mira said softly.

Talise’s surging anger subsided for the moment as she watched Mirajane walk towards the end of the bar to a busty blonde girl with a pink carrier bag. Talise ducked when a chair was thrown her way. She looked behind to see who threw it but it was a lost cause since everyone was throwing stuff everywhere. When Talise looked back at the two girls, she groaned and ran over to them. It only took two seconds for Mirajane to be on the floor, out cold, with her massive younger brother on top of her.

“MIRAJANE!!!” the blonde cried out in fear.

Talise placed the first aid kit down and tried to calm the new girl. “Relax, just help me mo–” She was then brought down to her stomach by something heavy. Talise moaned and wondered what the hell was thrown at her. She craned her neck to see what appeared to be Alzack on her back, unconscious. She swore under her breath. One, the guy was out cold, and two, it was Alzack.

Her thoughts lingered on number two as she quickly rolled the dead weight off of her. Relieved, she looked around for the blonde and Mirajane. She ducked down when several mugs grazing over her head. However, she was then knocked down again by a new force.

“I’MMA KILL YOU!!” yelled out Natsu as his arms flailed around, hitting Talise’s head in the process.

“OW! NATSU!! OWWW–GET OFF ME!!” She screamed.

“GET OFF HER!!” cried a voice. That same sudden voice was able to remove the weight named Natsu and gently bring her to her feet again. “Are you alright Tails?”

Gray’s voice made Talise blush. Her face went even redder as he looked at her up and down with concern. “I–I’m o–okay.” She stuttered. Her eyes went to the floor. But she immediately regretted it and turned her head sideways. He was in nothing but his boxers.

“Go back to the kitchen.” Gray demanded. “It’s too dangerous out here.” Talise opened her mouth to say something but Gray was then kicked away by Natsu.

“HA!! IN YOUR FACE!!” the dragon slayer said with glee. Talise heavily glared at Natsu. With no warning she balled up her fist and punched him in the stomach as hard as she could. Natsu immediately hunched over in pain. “WH–WHAT THE HELL TALI!!” cried Natsu. He attempted glaring at Talise as much as he could whilst nursing his abdomen.

“YOU KICKED GRAY IS WHAT!!” She screamed.

“B–BUT HE KICKED ME IN THE HEAD FOR NOTHING!!”

“HE KICKED YOU IN THE HEAD BECAUSE YOU WERE ON TOP OF ME!!!”

“NO I WASN’T!! I WAS ON THE FLOOR!!”

“YES YOU WERE!!!”

“ENOUGH!!” Cana yelled. Nearby the bar, the buzzed mage turned around and glared at everyone in her view. She then held up a card between her fingers and started up her magic. “YOU GUYS BETTER FUCKING QUIT IT!!”

Talise groaned as she saw Natsu and everyone else in the room do the same as Cana. She quickly ran away from Natsu, knowing very well she would be barbecue if she was next to him. As Talise neared the kitchen doors, the whole guild started to shake violently.

“WILL YOU FOOLS CUT IT OUT ALREADY!!” cried out a deep voice.

Everyone looked up and saw their Master, in his Titan form, looming over everybody inside. The room stood quiet as Master Makarov stared down at them.

“I’m sorry Master,” Mira stated, “I didn’t know you were here.”

Talise let a sigh of relief. Mirajane would always be the brave one to subside their Master.

“Oi, Tals.” She looked to the bar and gave Cana her full attention. “Give this back to the ice moron.” The mage tossed a pair of brown crinkly pants to her.

Talise caught it and gave Cana a look of gratitude. As she headed towards Gray she kept a lookout for the rest of his clothes. In this mess she was surprised his pants made it out fine. She found Gray sitting on the floor, looking disappointed. Her heart went out to him. She felt sad that he look so upset. Gray’s head then turned to her, which made her blush. Talise barely realized she was staring at him in his boxers. Before she got redder, she held out his pants to him.

“Thanks.” He said. She nodded and turned her head away as he took his pants back.

“You’ve gone and done it again, you fools!” Everyone looked at the Master, who was standing on the second floor railing. “Look at all this paperwork the council has sent me!!” He held up a large stack of papers in his hand. “They’re all complaints!! All you idiots do is make the council angry with me!”

Talise felt bad. And it wasn’t just her. The whole guild felt guilty as their Master shook with anger. Normally he would just yell at them, calling them idiots and whatnot. Coming forth with a stack of complaints was new. They didn’t know what the Master would do at this point.

The Master took a deep breath and shook his head. Everyone watched as the Master raised the hand with papers and set them on fire. “Screw the council.” He then threw the flaming stack out towards them. Natsu instantly jumped and caught the fiery bundle like a dog catching a Frisbee. “Listen up! Magic is an unreasonable power, but it’s born from reason! It’s not some miraculous ability.

When the spirit that flows within us combines with the spirit that flows within nature, it incarnates into physical form! It requires willpower and concentration! In fact, pouring all of your soul into whatever you do is magic! One cannot progress their magic by being wary of the watchful eyes of the higher-ups! Don’t be afraid of those fools on the council! Follow the path you believe in!! That’s what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage!!”

The guild blew up with cheers as their Master raised his hand and made their guild’s hand sign. Talise joined him and the others and lifted her hand as well.

Everyone was in high spirits. However, for Talise, that joy soon disappeared when things calmed down and she went back to the kitchen. Reality kicked in and she immediately groaned. She still had to clean up Natsu’s mess.

* * *

        It was about three hours later when Talise cleared up the last of Natsu’s chaos. Talise huffed with a little pride when she saw the floor free of large chunks of wood, ceramic, and metal. She was glad the guild wasn’t too much of a mess; however, she couldn’t say she forgave Natsu for the ordeal. Content with the guild being decent, Talise went to the kitchen and put away her broom and pail. When she came back out, she was met with a fully clothed Gray, who was sorry looking.

She knew what he was thinking and held up a hand. “Don’t bother. You weren’t the one who started this.”

Gray frowned. “I was still a part of it.”

“At least you helped me clean up a bit.” Gray looked at her like he didn’t think it was enough. “You do remember part of my job  _i_ _s_ to clean after you guys.”

He sighed. “I know, but not like this–”

“YOU JERK!!” a voice cried out.

The two turned their heads to the bar. Their Master was on his back on top of the counter while Macao’s kid, Romeo, was running away crying. Talise quickly went to the Master and tended to his already swollen nose.

“Gray, ice please.” said Talise.

He made a ball of ice the size of his hand and gave it to her. She took it and grabbed a clean rag from behind the bar.

A loud _BANG_ made Talise jumped and dropped the ball on to the floor in to pieces. Everyone looked at Natsu, who left the guild with Happy in a foul mood. Talise looked back at the request board and frowned. There was a dent, in the shape of a fist, made right in the middle of it. Gray ignored the commotion made by the fire idiot and created another ice ball. He then grabbed the rag Talise had and wrapped it around the ice. “Here Master.”

The old man took the makeshift ice pack and thanked him.

“What’s wrong with Natsu?” asked the new girl.

Talise, Mirajane, and Gray looked at each other. They all knew of Natsu’s past. He was an open book to a certain point. Nevertheless, it was hard telling some else’s past, especially if it meant opening old wounds.

“A long time ago, something similar had happened to Natsu.” said Mirajane. “In a way, he and Romeo are the same–” Her voice started to quiver. “All Fairy Tail mages carry something with them. Scars, pain, suffering; everyone has had their fair share of them.”

The air was filled with sorrow. No one was able to speak after Mirajane’s speech. The people around them sense the mood and barely spoke above a whisper. Talise couldn’t handle the atmosphere any longer, so she quietly excused herself and went back to the kitchen.

Mira’s words really hit her. It made her remember something she didn’t want to.

Thunder roared across the sky. Rain bombarded the ground hard. The trees swayed with the harsh cold wind as lightning ripped and crackle. Teeth chattered as more wind came mixing with the already icy rain. There was no one around for miles except her, huddled under one of the trees. She wasn’t dressed for the weather with her raggedy dress with holes. The only thing keeping her warm was her arms. Or so she thought. They were numb with cold. For all she knew, it was her imagination that was giving her the warmth she desperately wanted. The tree she was under wasn’t any help. The wind moved it around like a rag doll, so much that it was useless to hide from the rain. She was drenched, cold, hungry, lonely, and scared. But she had nowhere to go.

_Why?_

She tried shuffling her feet to get warm, but they were too frozen to even move an inch. In the back of her mind, she slightly regretted leaving home. Regardless she didn’t have a reason to go back. There was no one there. She started tearing up for the umpteenth time. She hated reminding herself that she had no one.

_Why?_

Talise jumped when she felt a hand on her bare shoulder. She tried to control her breathing, but didn’t dare move her head. She feared the tears in her eyes would fall down the moment she moved even the tiniest bit.

“I know you’re thinking about him again.” She heard Gray’s voice say.

That made her shoulders shook.

“I… I don’t wanna… t–talk about it right now.” her voiced cracked. Talise slowly moved to the sink and made herself appear busy with the dishes.

Gray gave her one more look before saying, “You sure?”

She gripped the edge of a plate. Her eyes were full to the brim with tears. But she forced herself not to succumb. Talise lifted her face up and tried blinking them away. After she felt she wasn’t going to cry she took a deep breath and nodded. Gray was more than certain she was lying, but he knew not to pry further. This was one of the things Talise was very touchy with.

Talise looked at the dirty plate in her hand. In the back of her mind she raised the question she asked herself long ago again. _Why?_

_Why did he leave?_


	2. They Call Her Titania, She Calls Her Scary

       It was an unusual slow afternoon. Not many people were ordering food, which was good since Talise deserved a break from time to time. Nevertheless, she was still on the clock so she decided to help Mirajane at the bar. Her hands moved around as she dried several mugs she recently washed. Her eyes were on the cups but that didn’t mean her ears weren’t picking up the rumors people were spreading.

“It was about a hundred, last I heard.” someone said out loud.

“You sure you’re talking about the one that came in with Natsu a few days ago?” said another.

“Yeah! I also heard she took on eighty gorillas!”

“No way!! Her!?”

Talise shook her head. Ever since Natsu rescued Macao from Mt. Hakobe with Happy and the new girl, it’s been nothing but rumors and gossip of how many Vulcans there were and how each one was defeated. But those weren’t the only rumors. There was more talk of a job they did together to retrieve a book from a perverted lunatic who had hundreds of ninjas and gorillas as bodyguards and a mansion filled with holes. She wasn’t sure what was true as she never got the opportunity to ask the trio about it. Though she couldn’t help but be slightly impressed with what was being said around.

The doors were then thrown opened by Natsu and Happy, who came in the guild cheerfully. Following the noisy duo was none other than the new girl, who looked like she was about to kill Natsu for being too loud. Talise noticed them make their way to the request board, which she and Nab tried to fix. After the last brawl Natsu ensued, most of the guild’s money was already spent on replacing the chairs, mugs, plates, and tables that were destroyed. They didn’t have enough to replace the board with a new one, for the time being.

As soon as Talise was finished drying the last cup, Natsu and Happy made a beeline to the bar, each with a smile.

“Tali! Can I get a plate of fish and my lunch set number two!” Natsu requested. Talise nodded, picked up her damped towel and went to the kitchen. “Oh and can you make it half a special!!” he added just as Talise went through the doors.

“What do you mean half a special?” Lucy asked as she came by the bar.

Natsu licked his lips in anticipation. “Means I’m gunna get something good!!” Lucy made a face. One, he didn’t answer her question. And two, the large amount of drool making its way out of Natsu’s mouth was disgusting.

Ten minutes later, Lucy saw Talise come out with a plate full of fish in one hand and in the other what was Natsu’s order; only on fire.

“That’s your special!!” She cried as Talise served the dragon slayer and his cat.

Talise looked at Lucy with a smile. “I’m sorry, did you want some too?” The blonde quickly shook her head, making Talise laughed. “I’m joking with you. Natsu’s the only guy I know who loves to eat fire.” Lucy stared at Natsu as he inhaled the pieces of fiery pork into his mouth. “You’re Lucy, right? The one I’ve been hearing so much about.” Talise said as she placed a mug of beer in front of Natsu.

The mage turned to her and hesitantly asked. “…Wha–What have you heard of me?”

“Oh… well–you know… small stuff.”

Lucy eyed her, “How small?”

“Uh…” Talise scratched her head. “That you defeated about forty or so Vulcans with your bare hands–twenty to eighty gorillas and about fifty ninjas.” Lucy dropped her mouth. “Not to be rude or anything but I thought you weren’t strong when I first saw you. I guess you proved me wrong.” Talise said with a smile. Lucy stuttered to say something but she was cut off. “My name’s Talise, by the way. I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself when you came to the guild.”

There was a pause, in which Lucy tried to get her bearings together. With a forced smile she said. “I–It’s alright.” The girls were then interrupted by Natsu, who let out a loud _burp_. Lucy made another face. “Don’t you have any manners!!?” she yelled.

“HOOOO!!!! That was good!!” Natsu exclaimed, ignoring Lucy. “I love your cooking Tali!” He then placed several bills from his pocket on the counter. Talise smiled with a nod as Natsu stood up and took off to the request board again.

“You cook!?” Lucy asked in astonishment. Talise nodded once more as she put away Natsu’s payment and took his dirty dishes. “I thought you were a waitress like Mirajane.”

Talise laughed. “It’s not a lie. I do wait tables sometimes.”

A moment of realization came to Lucy as she stared at the kitchen doors, then at Talise, who began putting away her clean mugs. “Then… that means you know who the head chef is!!”

She made a small smile. “I do. I know her quite well.” Lucy leaned over the counter, trying to be get as close as possible to hear clearly. Talise pointed to herself. “It’s me.”

Lucy’s mouth fell. “You’re Chef Fairy!?” Talise gave her a nod. “You’re the one who put Fairy Tail’s kitchen on the map within the last year!! The one who made Sorcerer Magazine put in an etiquette and cuisine column!”

Talise rubbed her head in embarrassment. “I–I… I don’t know about that.”

“It’s true though!! I’ve read all of your reviews and many people considered your food one of the best in Fiore!” Lucy’s eyes had stars in them. “I’ve been wondering forever who you were! They always refer to you as Chef Fairy, never by your real name. There’s not even a picture of you–why is that?”

The chef forced out several fake laughs. There was a reason why.

A little over half a year when Talise took charge of Fairy Tail’s kitchen, Sorcerer Magazine took wind of her being the new head chef, via a certain white haired waitress. They decided to do a small interview and taste some of her cooking. Talise didn’t think much of the interview and told the magazine to give her a nickname instead of printing her real name in the magazine.

To Talise’s disbelief, they weren’t as creative as she’d thought and dubbed her Chef Fairy. But she didn’t mind the name. What she didn’t expect was how big her small interview blew up. More than enough people were drawn by the name Fairy Tail, but that year Talise’s cooking made a great deal of people want to join the guild. That was until they experienced how crazy the guild was. They did get some keepers, but most left after getting a taste of her food; which was somewhat exclusive to the guild members.

As for why she doesn’t have a photo, during her first interview the journalists wanted her to pose sexually. Needless to say she wasn’t very confident in her sex appeal so she declined. But that wasn’t just a one-time thing. Whenever they speak to her, they constantly wanted a picture of her in the magazine; to which she always refused. For the most part they would leave her alone and just put a photo of Mirajane posing with the food or of the food itself.

But recently they’ve been getting pushier with their pleas. At one point Talise almost punched one of the reporters in the face for not taking no as an answer. She was slightly grateful and upset that Gray had done it for her instead. She would have felt a lot better if she’d done it herself.

Talise cleared her throat and answered with, “I’m… a bit shy.”                                                                                                         

Lucy took her answer. “I have so many questions for you!! Is it true you’re the only chef in the kitchen? How much does your food cost? I’ve heard rumors that it’s super expensive; more so if you’re not a Fairy Tail mage! I’ve been saving a few jewels just so I could have a taste. Although, I don’t think I have nearly enough to buy a plate. Is it really expensive? They also say your food is all magic! How does that w–”

“Whoa! Easy! One at a time!!” said Talise. Lucy stopped her chatter with her face flushed with embarrassment. Talise chuckled at her enthusiasm. “To start, yes I’m the only one. We use to have three other chefs, but one withdrew from Fairy Tail and started his own restaurants. The other couldn’t handle the stress of the guild members and just left. And the last one, Chef Mirmin, he….” a pained looked appeared on her face, “he… he retired and died a few years ago.” she muttered. “Chef Mirmin used to be the head chef before me. And well–yeah… now I’m the only one left.”

“I see…” Lucy felt sympathetic. “Isn’t it hectic if you’re the only one cooking?”

“It can be, but Mira sometimes helps out if I’m drowning in orders. As for the cost….” Talise took a step back, looked around behind the counter, and then bent down to the right. Lucy heard what sounded to be boxes being shuffled around. A minute later, Talise resurfaced with a stiff piece of paper and gave it to her. “It might be a little outdated, but I still use it regardless.”

Lucy stared at the laminated menu. At the top was a white plate with a silver fork and spoon on each side. In the middle of the plate was Fairy Tail’s Kitchen Menu in bold letters. Below were four sections of food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert/Beverages. Each section had a variety of foods, with a small description of what it contains, and the prices. Lucy gasped as she saw that the prices ranged from two hundred to sixteen hundred jewels. It wasn’t as expensive as she had thought. With the money she had saved up, it was more than enough to get four meals for three days if she wanted to.

The celestial mage was super happy that she could afford Talise’s food. Her eye then caught something towards the bottom of the menu. There was a long box with white stars on it. It read: _For special meals/dishes talk to the Head Chef._

She mulled over the words. “What kind of special meals can someone have?”

“Just about anything really.” Talise said with a shrug. “If it’s possible to make, I’ll cook it. Keep in mind the cost for custom meals will be a bit pricier than the ones on the menu. After all, it is off menu. But don’t worry–I can work with you on the price if money’s an issue for you.”

Lucy nodded and kept what Talise said in mind. Maybe someday she’ll have a special meal just for her. The mage then gave back the menu, but Talise didn’t take it.

“You can keep it.” Lucy looked perplexed, which made Talise giggled. “I mean it. At this point, everyone in the guild has memorized the menu, excluding those who already have their own special dishes. So we don’t really hand them out when someone wants to order something.” Lucy looked hesitant. “Don’t worry. I’ve got lots more. To tell you the truth, these were made with the idea that the members could keep the menus.” Talise looked fondly at the menu Lucy had, which made the celestial mage questioned the cook. Nevertheless, she took menu back.

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you.” Talise got Lucy’s attention again. “It’s not on the menu, but if you want you can order any of these dishes or any food you want in general with magic added to them. Again the price will rise, depending on what you get. Be it pure magic, half, or small.” Talise explained. “And it also depends on what type of magic you want. I am limited to what I put in the food, but I can rejuvenate a person’s magic and give a boost of energy.”

“That’s amazing!” Lucy replied.

Talise smiled. “Well, if there’s anything you want just tell me or Mira, and I’ll do my very best to cook it.” From the corner of her eye, Talise saw someone wave their hand to her and she excused herself. Lucy watched as Talise went and took a group of people their order.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she.” said a voice behind.

Lucy was slightly started by Mirajane’s sudden appearance. She turned to her and nodded. “I don’t think I can ever do what she does. Wait tables and cook food with magic. She must work really hard.”

“She does.” Mirajane leaned on the counter and watch Talise laugh with the group she was waiting on. “She’s a very strong mage.”

* * *

       Another two hours passed before things started settling down again. When Talise finished her last order, she was told by Mira to take another break; to which she obeyed without protest. She opened the refrigerator and took out a cylinder canteen and headed outside. However, it wasn’t as peaceful as she thought it would be.

“Did you just call me a jerk!!?” yelled Gray.

“What if I did? What’d you gunna do about it dumbass!!” Natsu taunted.

“Imma kick your ass!!”

“Like hell you can!”

Talise shook her head. “Again.” she moaned as she sat next to Happy at bar. The blue cat nodded with his fish in his mouth. “At least they’re not breaking anything… yet.” With a sigh Talise undid her hair out of her bun. Then uncapped her canteen and took a mouthful from it.

“I’M SORRY!!! YOU AND I CAN NEVER BE TOGETHER MY DEAR!!” cried Loki.

Loki’s yelling took Talise by surprise and made her choke on her drink. Talise hunched over and coughed as she tried to get the liquid out of her lungs. She then felt Happy’s paw pat her back. After she was safe from choking to death she stared at where she heard Loki but he was gone. There was only Lucy, who looked confused as hell, and Mirajane.

“What was that about?” Lucy asked.

“Loki has a bad history with Celestial Mages.” replied Mira. “Rumor has it he dated one, but it didn’t end very well.”

“Hm, I’m not surprised. He d–” Lucy stopped then screamed as Natsu toppled her.

“Gray! Couldn’t you have knocked Natsu in another direction!” chided Talise as the ice mage stood proudly at what he did.

“He started it! I’m just following through.” he defended.

Talise pouted, but then her cheeks turned pink and she quickly lowered her eyes to the floor. “At least apologize to Lucy.” she added, “A–And put your clothes back on!” Gray freaked out when he realized he was in his boxers again.

Natsu growled as he got off Lucy and walked right up to Gray. “You were the one provoking me! Asshole!!”

Gray narrowed his eyes. “Oh yeah? And what exactly did I do to provoke you, dumbass!”

The boys then started arguing again which made Talise slapped her forehead in disapproval. She then saw Lucy wanting to intervene and shook her head. “Don’t bother. They aren’t going to listen to reason right now.” Lucy frowned as the guys got even louder with their insults.

The two stopped when the doors to the guild open with a _BANG_ and in came back Loki. “WE’VE GOT TROUBLE!!!” he cried. Everyone stared at the mage waiting on the news he had. Loki took a breath before saying, “Erza’s back.”

The whole room went quiet as possible, before everyone started screaming their heads off. Talise was stunned from the news that she dropped her canteen, spilling everything on the floor.

“Wh–What’s wrong?” Lucy asked as she saw Talise freeze up. To her surprise even Natsu and Gray were shaking in fear and she knew they were strong guys. “Why is everyone freaking out?”

“Erza’s the strongest female mage we have in Fairy Tail.” Mirajane explain. Lucy was startled and surprised that Mira wasn’t scared like the rest of the guild. “She’s known to be a bit intimidating.”

Everyone then quieted down when they saw a large shadow gradually nearing the entrance. Sluggish footsteps could be heard as everyone stood silent and waited. Slowly Erza came in carrying a large horn decorated in gems and paint. The hall shook when she placed the massive horn in the middle of the room. The sudden vibration unfroze Talise. But she went pale when she saw the red head was already in the room.

“I’m back.” Erza said in a stern tone. “Is the Master present?”

“Welcome back!” Mirajane happily said. Only she was ever so brave to speak out to Erza. “The Master’s attending his regular meeting. I’m filling in for the moment.”

“I see.” Erza said nonchalant.

“U–Um… Erza…” Max stuttered to say. “Wha–What’s with the horn?”

Erza planted her piercing eyes on the man. “The locals decorated the horn of the monster I defeated. It was so pretty that I brought it back as a souvenir.” she explained. She noticed the face he made and forcefully said, “Do you have a problem with it?”

“NO!! NOT AT ALL!!” he cried in fear.

She glared at him for a moment before looking at everyone in the mess hall. “Listen up!!” Everyone stood stiff as she addressed the room. “While I was on the road I heard you’ve been causing trouble again. Even if the Master forgives you, know that I don’t!”

Her eyes then went to the slim brunette who was silently chugging down a large barrel of beer on top of a table. “Cana! You need to start controlling your drinking!” She then turned her head onto her next victims. “Vijeeter, if you’re going to dance, do it outside!! Nab! Are you still loitering around the request board? Pick a job already!!” Erza growled in frustration of the idiots around her. “Where’s Talise!!”

Happy gladly pointed at her. Talise stiffened as Erza’s piercing gaze landed on her. She hated the cat for pointing her out.

“Talise,” The girl nodded in fear, “I’ll be having my usual order. Deliver it to my room when you’re done with work. Also I’ll be needing another order by tomorrow morning. Seven this time.” Talise could do nothing but nod rapidly at Erza’s request. “Now where’s Natsu and Gray.” She immediately pointed to them.

“He–Hey Erza.” stuttered Gray. He and Natsu had their arms linked around each other’s necks as if they were the best of buddies. “We–We’re just ha–hanging out… ge–getting along as always.” He gave her a weak and fearful smile.

“A–Aye.” replied Natsu.

Erza smiled; convinced that the two were close. “I see. I’m pleased the two of you are getting along so well. Though, it’s only natural that best friends do fight once in a while.”

“Ah, n–no… I–I don’t think we’re b–best friends… or a–anything like that….”

“A–Aye.” said Natsu again.

“Well, I’m happy to see both of you are doing great.” Erza closed her eyes. “I actually have a favor to ask the both of you. I heard some troublesome rumors while on my last job. Normally I would consult with the Master about something like this first, but he’s not here and this is an urgent matter. I want the two of you to help me.”

Everybody started muttering. It was unheard of Erza needing help. Even Talise was surprised that she need Natsu and Gray. Knowing how bad their relationship was, this might be the first time the two would be working together; with Erza no less.

“Meet me at the train station tomorrow morning. And make sure you’re ready.” With that Erza picked up her giant horn and left the guild.

The room then returned to its noisy self, most gossiping about Erza’s request. Talise sighed and picked up the canteen she dropped. She quickly left to the kitchen, wanting to get away from the mess hall for some peace and quiet. However, her wish wasn’t granted as Gray had followed her in.

Talise checked if there was anything left in her bottle, but she came out empty. She frowned and placed it in the sink before looking at the half naked mage, who was leaning on the kitchen counter.

In a soft voice she said, “I’m… surprised.”

Gray placed a hand over his face. “You and me both.” he muttered.

Talise said nothing. She was uncomfortable with Gray, who wasn’t dressed properly. Ever since she met him, he would always take off his clothes and be left in nothing but his boxers. It didn’t bother her before, since they were kids. But now that they were older, she felt it’s inappropriate whenever he did it. She’d thought he would’ve kicked the habit by now. Talise let her eyes roamed over his well built chest. His silver necklace gleamed over his blue guild mark; which stood out proudly over his right pectoral.

Her eyes then slowly went down to the top of his abs…

“Tails?”

She tensed up at the sound of his voice. Talise’s face went super red. She didn’t think she would be caught staring at him so obviously. “I–I… I’m so sorry.” Talise said quickly. She turned her back and made her way to one of the supply cabinets; making it look like she was going to get something.

Gray raised a brow. He was surprised to not hear her talk after he closed his eyes for a moment. She was just looking down, which made him worry a little. She hasn’t spoken to him much today, which was unusual. He hoped nothing was wrong. Gray walked behind her as she searched for something inside the brown storage space.

“Tails, I’m not mad. You don’t have to apologize.”

Talise froze. Her mind was a jumbled. He didn’t mind her looking at him like that? Why? Does it mean something? No. Maybe? Does that mean he liked her like she likes him? She didn’t know what to think. She didn’t dare turn around. Her face felt was incredibly hot.

Gray waited for her to face him. But when she didn’t, he frowned. He reached out to her but as soon as his hand made contact with her bare shoulder she jumped. Talise couldn’t take what was happening and shut herself inside the supply cabinet.

The ice mage froze with his hand still in the air. He stared at the brown door in front of him and blinked a few times. He didn’t know what just happened. “Tails? Are… are you ok?”

He didn’t get a response.

Inside, Talise was hitting herself on the head with her fist. She was stupid. No. Beyond stupid! This was on top of the list of stupid things she did around Gray. Why couldn’t she play it cool? No. She had to hide in the cabinet full of non-perishables. Talise leaned her head against the door. She hated herself. She could never act right around him.

Everything was quiet for a while before she heard Gray move about the other side of the door.

The door then opened. Talise wasn’t fast enough to react and ended up in Gray’s arms. The ice mage was relieved that the cook was uninjured. He let out a big sigh. “Seriously Tails… don’t scare me like that.”

Talise felt her heart skip a beat as he hugged her. She couldn’t say anything. She was putty in his arms. Talise’s face was beyond red as she took his embrace without question.

* * *

 

       Strands of black hair moved about the wind as Talise stood on a grassy hill. After the whole ordeal with Gray in the kitchen, she managed to get her head back on, finish her shift early, and start on Erza’s order. Gray even promised to help with her delivery, seeing as he felt bad that she was jittery for some reason.

Talise turned around and looked at the large entrance sign reading Fairy Hills. She made a face. She didn’t know what she disliked more: the fact that she had to be here or that she had to go inside and make her delivery. She turned around and watched as Gray trailed behind her, carrying ten large boxes.

“Can you go… and give them… to Erza?” she asked shyly.

Gray’s face was lost behind the pink boxes he held, but she knew he was giving her a look. “You know I can’t go in.”

Talise bowed her head. He was right. The girl’s dorm was off limits to any males pass the entrance sign. She eyed the grand door of the mansion-like building. Hoping that Erza or someone would come out and save her the trouble of going in.

“Come on Tails. As much as I like helping you, I’m getting tired of holding these boxes.”

“Okay…” she moaned. Talise slowly took two boxes from Gray and made her way to the front door. She lingered for a moment before opening the door and entered the building.

The lobby was empty, which she was grateful for. She placed the boxes on the short table that was there and went back to Gray for the rest. Four trips later she had all the boxes accounted for.

“Well, lookie who came to visit.” said a voice.

Talise turned and saw a lean woman with pretty green hair. She wore a tight blue dress with white trimming, brown cowboy boots, a polka-dot bandana around her neck and a light brown hat. The chef smiled and wrapped her arms around the girl’s neck. “Bisca! I’m so happy to see you!!”

Bisca was taken aback by the sudden affection. “Uh… yea’? Imma… err–happy to see you too?” she said and patted Talise’s shoulder awkwardly.

“Can you help me?” Talise quickly asked as she let go of her.

The girl looked at the stacks of boxes nearby then at Talise’s puppy face and put two and two together. “She back?” Talise nodded. Bisca smiled and grabbed four boxes from the table. “Alrigh’, I’ll take `em to Erza. An’ I’ll I give ya her paymen’ tomorro’… but ya owe me one.”

Talise smiled with a nod. “Yes! Thank you Bisca! You’re an angel!!”

She just shook her head and headed in the direction to Erza’s room. Talise sighed in relief and then bolted out of the building.

Gray was surprised when he saw Talise run out the front door, at top speed. “I thought you were going to be in there longer, seeing as how you took your sweet time getting to the door.”

“I had help.” she said happily.

She then started walking back down the dirt trail. Talise thought she’d spent more than enough time at Fairy Hills until the next time Erza wanted another delivery. Gray rolled his eyes and followed her back to the guild.

       The next morning at the Magnolia Station, Talise made her way through the busy crowds at the train station. As she pushed a brown cart holding seven large boxes, she realized she didn’t know which platform she was suppose to be at. But by the sound of two familiar voices arguing she knew she was close.

“TEAMING UP WITH YOU IS THE WORST IDEA EVER!!” yelled Natsu.

“TELL ME ABOUT IT! ERZA MADE A HUGE MISTAKE ASKING A MORON LIKE YOU TO COME ALONG!!” cried Gray.

“FINE! WHY DON’T YOU GO BY YOURSELF!!? I DON’T WANNA GO ANYWAYS!!”

Talise sighed as Natsu and Gray screamed at each other. Their bickering was scaring the people passing by. She then spotted Happy and Lucy sitting on a bench near the two idiots. Lucy was holding a weird white creature with an orange pointy nose. Talise was more surprised of the creature than with Lucy being at the station. “Good morning.” she said.

Lucy greeted her as well. She then eyed the cart Talise had. “That’s Erza’s order?”

“Yes. Every so often when Erza goes on a mission she asks me to bake her a few things.”

“Bake?” Lucy looked at the boxes again. “They’re pastries?”

“Yeah, she has a big sweet tooth. I’m just lucky she only wanted seven. Usually it’s much more than this.”

“More!” cried Lucy. “How many boxes does she normally ask?!”

Talise thought about it for a moment before saying, “For missions she would want at least fifteen to twenty boxes. Her usual order when she comes back is ten though.” Lucy gapped at the number, which made Talise giggle. “So, are you here to see Natsu and Gray off?” she asked.

Lucy sighed. “I wish. Mirajane asked me to tag along.” Talise raised a brow. “She wants me to stop the idiots if they get on each other’s throats. No offense.”

“No… it’s okay.” Talise turned her head to the boys glaring at each other and sighed. “Sometimes I wish they weren’t.”

“Sorry I’m late. Have you been waiting long?” Natsu, Gray, and Talise all froze when they heard Erza’s voice.

Not Lucy. She had a smile when she heard the older woman. “Not really.” The girl’s happy face turned into utter shock when she saw Erza and the mountain of luggage she had behind her. She couldn’t count how many there were but she knew it was well passed fifty.

Gray grabbed Natsu shoulder and started dancing around. “IT’S TIME TO GO GOOD BUDDY!!”

“AYE!” cried Natsu.

Erza smiled. “I really love seeing the two of you get along so well.” She then placed her attention to Lucy. “And what was your name? I believe I saw you at the guild yesterday.”

As Lucy introduced herself, Talise discreetly grabbed two of the boxes in the cart and placed it on the bench. She then pushed the cart to Erza’s cart and added the rest of the boxes to the pile, making sure the boxes weren’t going to get squished on the way. When she came back to the group Natsu stopped being buddy-buddies with Gray and looked at Erza seriously.

Without hesitation he said, “I wanna rematch when we get back to Fairy Tail. I’m far stronger from last time!”

Talise gave the dragon slayer a look. Why would he want to challenge Erza AGAIN! She knew the boy loved proving his strength. That’s why he always pits himself against strong opponents like Erza, but she was one not to be taken lightly. Especially since last time he got his butt handed to him real bad. Talise shook her worry away. She knew she shouldn’t be concerned. Erza has never taken on his requests since then.

Erza thought about it for a minute before she said, “You do look stronger. I’m not very confident in myself… but I accept your challenge.” Talise’s mouth fell. Natsu, on the other hand, was burning with excitement. Erza ignored the pink knucklehead and turned her attention to Talise and the boxes near her.

“Ah, Talise! Thank you for bringing me my order.” Talise closed her mouth and nodded slowly as Erza took the boxes. However, she was stunned when Erza grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face against her metal breast plate. “You’re such a good friend.” Erza said sincerely.

Talise’s body shook in pain as Erza kept her in what was supposedly a friendly hug. Everyone winced–they too felt the pain Talise was in.

Gray prayed Erza wouldn’t kill his friend by accident.


	3. Pushing Forward

       Talise laid awake in bed. Judging from the bright ray of light that was trying to get pass through her curtain, she guessed it was near tenish. At this point she was beyond late for work. But she didn’t care. She really didn’t want to go to the guild today.

Not with Team Natsu, Gray and Erza back in town.

For the most part Talise was doing alright as Gray and the rest helped Erza with her mission. It wasn’t until the day she heard news of their return that she started getting nervous. She couldn’t stop fidgeting that day. Her mind was too busy being anxious that she didn’t pay attention to anything else.

Because of that, in the past few days she had forgotten several orders, served nine people the wrong food, broken four mugs and six plates. She lost count as to how many dirty dishes she had dropped on the floor, and ended up breaking nine of them.

It was worse yesterday when she broke twelve plates, eight mugs, and burnt two meals. The last time she’d burnt something was when Natsu wanted to help out with his magic. Luckily, she didn’t burn down the kitchen but it made Mirajane really concerned. So she told Talise to go home early that day. Talise didn’t mind. She was just dreading the following day.

Talise pulled her pink comforter over her head. She didn’t want to go to work. Not today.

Noon passed and Talise was still at home. The only difference was she was dressed and had moved from her bedroom to the living room. She knew Mira wouldn’t mind if she took the day off. She would, of course, apologize to her for taking an impulsive day off. So long as she avoided the guild today.

She was startled when there was a knock at her door. Talise groaned. This was the one thing she hoped wouldn’t happened; for someone to check up on her. The knocking then became louder and fiercer. The chef made a face. She wished she could just ignore them. But her body moved on its own accord and slowly went to the door. Talise, reluctantly opened her door a bit and was relieved to see that it wasn’t Mira or Gray.

The girl opened the door all the way and nervously said, “Hey Bisca.”

Bisca had her arms crossed with a smirk. “Min’ tellin’ me why ya weren’ at the guild this mornin’?” Talise stood quiet as she was scolded. “Ya almos’ gave Gray a heart-attack when he heard ya didn’ come in. Took Mira an’ five other guys to stop him from chargin’ over here to see if ya weren’ kidnap… or worse dead.”

Guilt started to fill Talise. She didn’t mean to make Gray worry. She almost felt regretful for skipping work… almost.

The gun mage waited for Talise to say something. But she didn’t. Bisca then let out a sigh of annoyance. “Honestly Tals, wha’s wrong? Ya aren’ tellin’ me anythin’.”

“I’m… not… feeling well.” Talise said softly.

Bisca raised a brow. She looked at the cook up and down before saying, “Really? Ya seem find to me.” Again Talise didn’t say anything back, which made Bisca concerned. “Come on. Ya know ya can talk to me. Wha’s goin’ on.” Talise whispered something underneath her breath. “Wha’? Speak up girl. Did ya hurt ya self? Did somethin’ happen’?”

Talise shook her head. “I don’t… wanna come in.” she muttered. “Just tell Mira… I’m taking the day off.”

Bisca looked at her for a moment before she sighed loudly and pulled down her hat. “Fine… but–can I ask why?” Talise didn’t say anything. “Is it ‘cause of Natsu an’ Erza?” The moment she said Natsu, Talise turned her head away. Bisca finally understood. “Alrigh’. I won’ ask anymore.” She then placed a hand on Talise’s shoulder. “You shouldn’ worry ‘bout a thing. If it’s anythin’ like las’ time, it’ll be over in less than a minute. No one’s gunna die, ‘cept Natsu’s pride.”

Talise took her words in and nodded slowly.

“I’ll tell Mira ‘bout ya day off, k.”

The cook gave her a big hug of appreciation. Bisca smiled and patted her back lightly. After Talise thanked her, Bisca took her leave and followed the dirt trail into the trees. Talise still felt bad about missing work. But she didn’t want to face the fight that was happening soon.

In the end she closed the door and went back to her living room.

* * *

       Talise was slumped over the dining table in her living room. It’s been three hours since her visit from Bisca, and the sun hasn’t set over the horizon. She wished time would go by faster. Looking at the clock didn’t seem to help, as it made time go slower.

Despite what Bisca had told her earlier, Talise couldn’t help but worry. She knew she shouldn’t. Natsu’s a very tough guy. And she knows he could take multiple beatings and still be okay in the end. But that doesn’t ease her concern. She cares deeply over the fire idiot and worries that he might one day be in a fight and not come out okay in the end.

Talise sighed. He was like the annoying little brother she never had.

The promised she made doesn’t help ease her worry for the dragon slayer.

Her face softened at the memory.

Talise then sat up and stared across the room. Underneath the main windows was a long rectangular cabinet. There were three drawers on the left and a glass sliding door on the right. Behind the glass was a shelf full of red, brown, and black bottles. On top of the cabinet was a big memorial. In the middle was a picture of a girl with short white hair and big blue eyes smiling beautifully at the camera. The frame was black and stood on a white beaded cloth with four candles and sixteen different colored flowers adorned around it. There were many dry discolored petals from previous flowers all over the top and a few on the floor.

She stood up, walked around her couch, and kneeled in front of the memorial. Talise took a moment before she opened the top drawer and grabbed a box of matches. With a quick strike of the box she lit one of the matches then started lighting the candles. The scent of honey spread throughout the living room. Talise put back the matches and sat on the coffee table in front of the memorial.

“I miss you, Lisa.” Talise stared at the picture. How she wished it could talk back to her. She yearned to hear her voice once more. “You know the fight I told you a few days ago? Well… today’s the day. Natsu’s going to fight Erza. I’m still surprised Erza actually accepted his challenge. Honestly, I don’t know what I can do anymore. I can’t keep up with him. He’s all over the place!”

Talise smiled slightly before it turned into a frown. The thought of Natsu made her think of something else. Talise knew she couldn’t keep it to herself. She promised herself to tell Lisanna everything that was happening in the guild.

“Though… I think… you might be replaced soon. Not as in you’re going to be forgotten. You’ll never be forgotten Lisa. I promise you that. But…” Her eyes went to her lap. “You remember Lucy? The new girl I told you about. She’s nice and all… but… I think… I think Natsu might have a crush on her. I mean, he’s a lot more hyperactive around her… just like how he was with you. And they decided to make a team together along with Happy… and you know it’s been years since Natsu has ever worked with anybody, besides the times when he was forced by the Master.”

Talise rubbed her neck. “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. But at least Natsu isn’t moping around and he’s doing more jobs nowadays. That’s good… right?” She stared at the picture, waiting for an answer from her. But nothing came, which made Talise unhappy. “I wish you were here with us. You didn’t deserve to die.” she muttered.

She stared at her best friend’s picture. How long she looked at the photo she didn’t know. But soon the scent of the candles slowly made Talise drowsy.

The knocking on her door rattled her awake. She clumsily made her way back to the entrance, opened the door, and saw Bisca and Gray. Fear went right through her when she saw their grim faces. “What’s wrong!? Is Natsu okay!? Erza didn’t hurt him too much… did she!!?”

Bisca shook her head. “He’s fine… they didn’ fight much but…”

Talise knitted her brows. She didn’t know what was wrong if nothing happened. “What’s the matter then?”

Gray walked up to her and took her hands in his.

He looked at her in the eyes and said, “Erza’s been arrested.”

Talise hurried over to the guild with Bisca and Gray. They had told her about the frog, who came and interrupted the fight, the charges Erza was being accused of, and how Natsu almost made the messenger into barbecue had it not been for Gray, Elfman, and Nab to hold him back. When the three entered the great hall, she wasn’t surprised with everyone being quiet and solemn… everyone except for Natsu.

“LET ME OUT!!” he cried. Talise was shocked. Gray had left out that someone had transformed Natsu into a tiny salamander and trapped him underneath a glass cup.

“Quiet Natsu.” scolded Mira as she tried ignoring his pleas for freedom. “You’ll only be reckless if we let you–”

“NO I WON’T!! JUST CHANGE ME BACK!”

“If I do that, you’ll go and try to rescue Erza, won’t you?”

“NO I WON’T!!”

Gray tsked and glared at the idiot. “Shut up dumbass!! It’s the Magic Council were dealing with here. There’s nothing we can do about it. For now we ha–” Natsu yelled in frustration, ignoring and cutting off what Gray had to say. That put the ice mage in a worse mood than he was with the dragon moron.

“JUST LET ME OUT!!” yelled Natsu. “I DON’T CARE IF THEY’RE THE COUNCIL!! I KNOW THEY’RE WRONG!!!”

“Quiet.” muttered the Master, who sat on top of the bar. But Natsu didn’t take his advice and kept yelling, “LET ME OUT” over and over again at the top of his lungs. Talise shook her head. The boy will never learn to behave.

Lucy was also growing impatient like Natsu. “We just can’t just sit here and leave Erza like this!” she cried to the Master. “Let’s go and testify for her!!”

Makarov shook his head. “No. Just have some patience–”

“What are you saying Master!! This is a false arrest! She doesn’t deserve this!” cried Lucy. “Once they reach a verdict, it’ll be too late!”

“It doesn’t matter how fast we are. Even if we leave now, we won’t make it in time.” Lucy opened her mouth to retort but Natsu cut her off crying, “THEN LET ME OUT!!!” at the top of his lungs. The Master eyed the creature in the cup, then raised a brow. “Are you certain you want to come out?”

The tiny salamander grew quiet all of the sudden, which made Talise question Natsu. He’d never think about it this long. In fact, Natsu would have already found a way to break out. Talise stared at the prison keeping Natsu in place. There was nothing holding down the cup.

“What’s wrong Natsu?” asked Makarov. He too started questioning Natsu’s behavior. “Ran out of steam?”

Master Makarov stared hard at the salamander before he shot a beam of light at him. Talise and everyone around gasped as tiny salamander Natsu turned into a full grown Macao. Everyone was beyond surprised when they saw the old man and not the pink haired boy.

“Sorry.” Macao said sheepishly. “I was indebted to Natsu.”

“But–then… where’s the real Natsu?” Lucy asked carefully.

“Don’t tell me he went after Erza!!” cried Gray.

Macao nodded as he rubbed the back of his head.

Talise slapped her face. That idiot!! He’s going to get himself into more trouble than he needs to be. The whole guild blew up with cries of despair and disappointment. They should have known Natsu would be charging after Erza no matter what.

“Silence!! All of you!” said the Master with a more firm tone. “We’ll wait here patiently for the verdict.”

Everyone hesitantly looked at the Master. Sitting down wasn’t a choice they opted for as all of them knew Natsu would make an even bigger mess than what Erza was already in. But they wouldn’t dare defy the Master’s orders. So they all sat and waited.

Around evening most of the member grew tired and one by one they went home. It was only the Master, Mirajane, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Talise, and Elfman who’d stayed behind.

The waiting was killing Talise that she couldn’t sit and stay still. So she helped Mira clean up the guild for a while. It wasn’t till she heard Happy’s stomach growling that she went to the kitchen and made everyone tea and something to eat. However, nearly everyone wasn’t hungry but they took the tea out of courtesy. Happy didn’t mind eating most of what she made, especially since it was free.

When Talise was done serving Happy, she came back and sat next to Gray with a huff. “Natsu’s gonna get it when he returns.” she muttered. “Why does he do this!”

“You know the idiot doesn’t think.” Gray muttered. “He just does.”

Talise pouted. “I wished he’d use his head more.” She then crossed her arms on the table and buried her head. “Lisa would’ve been able to stop him.” she muttered.

Gray stopped at the mentioned of Lisanna. He knew the girl’s name was taboo for her and Natsu. He didn’t know what to do as he didn’t want to say anything wrong with Lisanna being the subject. One false move and he would send Talise into a deep depression or worse crying on the spot. For now, all he could do was nod.

Talise’s thoughts soon shifted to the times she had with Lisanna. The days when they, Gray and Natsu played pretend missions, played house, which the boys were always reluctant to play, fighting with the boys for not wanting to play house, having tea parties, watching the Fantasia parade, enjoying Christmases, birthdays, beach trips, picnics…

Her memories had soother her well that she didn’t realized she ended up sleeping soundly on the table.

* * *

       The next morning Talise was surprised to wake up in the guild. She almost forgotten she spent the night there instead at home. What’s more she became even more worried when Natsu and Erza still didn’t return. The Master reassured them that whatever happened during the hearing, they would hear about it later throughout the day.

It wasn’t long before noon arrived and both Erza and Natsu came back safe and uninjured. Everyone was more than relieved that Erza wasn’t in any real trouble. It was all a farce for the council to put up a face. But since Natsu did come in and caused a commotion during the trail, they both went to jail and severed a one night sentence together.

Talise sighed as she came out of the kitchen and severed Natsu a plate of plate of fiery chicken. The dragon slayer was more than happy he was free from jail that he couldn’t sit still. He was jumping around, screaming, “FREEDOM!!” all over the hall. Most of the members were considering if Natsu’s return was worth the worry they went through.

The cook could only shake her head at Natsu. She was glad he was happy but he didn’t need to irritate the rest of the guild. Talise quietly served Erza the tea she order then quickly ran out of her vicinity before she took notice of her. When Talise reached the bar she heard yelling and then a loud _THUMP_.

When she turned around, she saw Erza standing over Natsu, who was on the ground clutching his stomach. Gray and Elfman had no remorse laughing at the dragon slayer poor decision.

“You’re such a moron Natsu!!” cried Gray.

Talise shook her head again. She picked up a tray and started collecting the empty mugs and plates that were on the bar. As she headed into the kitchen she suddenly started to get a bit drowsy. It wasn’t just her. Most of the guild were either swaying around or they completely dropped wherever they were with sleep. Talise shook her head to stay awake but it wasn’t working.

“Its him.” she heard the Master mutter.

The cook swayed around as sleep was getting to her. _No… Not now!_

But it was too late. Her body went limp and dropped to the floor like a ragdoll. Her tray crashed onto the floor and slowly Talise closed her eyes. The last sound she heard were footsteps as sleep engulfed her.

Talise groaned as she woke up. It took her a second before her face scrunched up and she realized what had happened. “Honestly… will it kill him not to come in while I have dishes on me!?” she cried as she got up from the floor. Her bitterness subsided when she saw the tray of dishes she dropped on the bar’s countertop. She sighed and took them into the kitchen. _At least he cleans up his mess._

After putting the dirty dishes in the sink, she went out and heard Natsu yell, “FIGHT ME LAXUS!!”

The girl would have slapped her face for the umpteenth time but Laxus’ name made her look to the second floor. The Master’s grandson stood proud and smug over the wooden rail. His face held a smirk as he addressed Natsu. “You can’t even win against Erza. You’ll barely stand a chance against me.”

Erza trembled with anger. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That I’m the strongest!!” Laxus said with his arm spread out.

Natsu gritted his teeth. “You bastard! Come down and fight me!!”

“Why don’t you come up here?” Laxus taunted.

Natsu didn’t give it a second thought and ran over the bar towards the stairs leading to the second floor. However, the Master was quick enough to enlarge and extended his hand to smash the dragon slayer on the ground before he reached the stairs.

“You know you can’t go up to the second floor!” The Master scolded. “Not yet.” Laxus laughed at Natsu being reprimanded. The Master took a look at his grandson and frowned. “Laxus, that’s enough!”

He shrugged his words off. “Whatever. I’m never giving up Fairy Tail’s strongest position to anyone. Not Erza, not Mystogun, not even to the old geezer!!” Everyone stood quiet as he bellowed out his words, “I AM THE STRONGEST!!!”

Talise shook her head. She knew Laxus was strong but that didn’t make it his right to boast about it, especially making Erza and the other S-Class Mages seem as they were weaker than him. Before she had a chance to move to the tables and clean up, Laxus barked at her. “BRAT!! BRING ME MY USUAL!! I’M STARVING UP HERE!!”

The cook’s eye twitched before she nodded and went back into the kitchen. Gray frowned as Laxus laughed and cried out after her. “AND MAKE IT A FULL ON DOUBLE!! I DON’T WANT ANY OF THE CRAP YOU’RE FEEDING THESE DUMBASSES!!”

Gray immediately stood up with angrily. Laxus saw him and smirked. He let Gray glared at him for a moment before he walked back into the shadows of the second floor. Cana grabbed Gray’s arm and pulled him down on his seat. Gray looked at her furiously.

She glared back. “You know you can’t do shit to him.” Gray glared heavily at Cana. “It’s still her job to feed the asshole, no matter what.” Gray gave her one more glare before he stood up and angrily went outside. Everyone stood still until they heard a loud _CRASH_ and _BANG_ outside. She sighed and placed her mug to her lips.

“Why’s Gray so mad?” Lucy asked.

Cana stopped and gave the blonde a look. “You really don’t know by now?”

Lucy looked at Cana confused. “Know what?” Cana chuckled and kept on drinking. Lucy waited for an answer from her but she never received one.

The celestial mage started to get ticked off until Bisca came over and said, “He’s worried is all.”

“Of what?” she asked.

“Tals. Ya know ‘bout her food magic right?” Lucy nodded. “Well, Laxus’ food has more than the usual amoun’ of magic Tals normally puts in. An’ wha’ he ordered righ’ now is double the magic on top of wha’ he normally gets. An’… well… it usually takes a heavy toll on Tals; we always en’ up takin` her home afterwards.”

Lucy frowned. “That’s not right. Can’t the Master do something about it?”

“He can.” Cana said as she put her drink down. “But Tals told him she was okay with making the asshole’s orders. I don’t know why though.” She then glared at the railing of the second floor. “If it were me, I wouldn’t sever a crumb to that bastard.”

Lucy could only look sympathetic to Talise’s situation and stared at the kitchen doors.

“Just let it go.” Cana said as she watched the mage. “It’s not like she’s doing this for free. She gets a butt-load of money out of the asshole whenever he has his specials.”

She couldn’t help but ask, “How much?”

Cana and Bisca looked at each other with a smile and answered, “Two hundred and fifty thousand jewels.”

Lucy’s mouth dropped. Her blue eyes were as big as her face. “WHA–ARE YOU SERIOUS!!? THAT’S MORE THAN MY RENT!!!”

“And that’s his regular price. It’s not adding the price of the amount of magic he orders for his meal.” said Cana. Lucy gave her a gapping look. She couldn’t believe one of Talise’s meals can cost so much. Then again, from what she’s read, a lot of people would pay anything for one of her meals.

About half an hour of waiting, there were two _DINGS_ coming from the kitchen.

Mirajane and Bisca took action as soon as they were the sound of the bell. They both went into the kitchen. There was a moment of stillness before Mirajane came out first, holding two trays full of food. Lucy was surprised to see the top of the food glitter. It was far different compared to Natsu’s special meal.

A little while after Mira came out Bisca with a weary Talise. Her face was dead tired and she looked as if she could drop at any second. Bisca tried her best to hold on to the chef and moved her out of the way. Cana finished the last of her beer before she went to help Bisca out. Both girls took a hold of Talise’s arms and placed them over their shoulder. They then started carrying her to the exit. Mira came back down from the second floor and went inside the kitchen once more. She came out with two more trays and went upstairs.

Everyone then went about their business as Mirajane came back down with a small frown. Lucy quickly went over to the bar and asked, “Is everything ok?”

Mira nodded. “Yes… just another busy day.” she said with a sad smile.

“Is Talise–”

“She’s going to be fine.” Mira reassured her. “She just needs a good long rest and she’ll be back as good as new tomorrow.” Lucy gave her a look. She didn’t think it would be that easy. Seeing as magic can take a major toll on the user’s body if gone over the limit.

“OY!!” The girls looked up and saw Laxus, who was resting on the rails nonchalantly. “Tell the brat I said to be fucking faster next time! The food’s all cold!” Lucy glared at him. Now she knew why Gray was mad earlier on. He had no respect for their cook. Laxus gave them a smirk and dropped several things at Mira.

The woman caught them and let out a deep sigh.

Lucy questioned what she had until she showed her four large wads of cash tied with pieces of string.


	4. Idiots And Liars

       Fatigue was all Talise could feel when she woke up. She slowly opened her teal eyes and the first thing she notice was a pair of dark blue orbs looking at her intently. Talise screamed and kicked the person hovering over her. The person groaned painfully. The kick actually did some damage to their stomach. Talise was at the corner of the bed before she realized it was Gray and not some creeper.

“Oh my–I’m so sorry Gray!” She said and quickly went to aid him.

“No–is… my fault.” He managed to grunt out. Despite not being a fighter, Talise’s kick was really something.

Talise bit her lip. She hoped he wasn’t too hurt. Her fretting made her forget that she wasn’t at the guild anymore. Talise took a moment to look at her surrounding and saw that she was in her bedroom. She then remembered what happened yesterday. At least she hoped it was yesterday.

“How… How long was I out?” she asked.

Gray stood up, ignoring the stinging sensation that was still around his stomach. “All of last night and most of this morning–it’s not noon yet if you’re wondering.” He then went to her desk and handed her a white bowl. “It’s not much… and it's gone cold… but I think I got it right this time.”

Talise took the bowl and stared at the slightly charred oatmeal. She gave him a smile and nodded. “It looks… better.”

Gray went red for a moment before he left the room. As he rummaged about in her home, she took a spoonful of Gray’s oatmeal. But before she could swallow, her taste buds were viciously attacked by the saltiness of the oatmeal. Talise made a face. She was about to spit it back out, but she couldn’t. Talise quickly swallowed all of what she had in her mouth when Gray came back with one of her many canteens.

“Mira stopped by a few hours ago. She told me to tell you, you can take it easy today.” Gray told her as he handed her flask. He watched as she quickly drank the liquid inside. “You okay?” he asked as she emptied the canteen in a second.

“Y–Yeah.” She lied. She wasn’t fine. The salty taste still lingered on her tongue. “I’m just… very thirsty. I haven’t had something to drink for hours.” Gray raised a brow as she gave him a weak smile.

He decided to ignore it and told her to finish her oatmeal before getting changed.

Talise cry on the inside as he left her be.

After breakfast, which Talise begrudgingly had to finish, and a quick shower, she and Gray headed back to the guild. When they went inside, Talise was greeted with many condolences and qualms about her well being. Many of them telling her she shouldn’t have come in to work today and to go back to bed to sleep some more. Talise thanked everyone for their thoughtfulness, multiple times, but she told them all repetitively that she took a day off yesterday and that it wasn’t fair for Mirajane to handle the guild by herself.

In the end they all respected her wish and let her go back in the kitchen to work. However, everyone took into consideration to not order any special meals/dishes for the day, which she was quite grateful. Slowly, Talise got back to her usual rhythm of things.

The day was getting along to be just like any other day, which also meant commotions within the guild. Talise was washing dishes when she heard Mira yell out, “OH NO!!” She quickly dried her hand on the apron at her waist and went to the mess hall to see what was going on.

“Master!! One of the requests on the second floor is missing!!” cried Mira as she came downstairs.

Makarov spit out the beer he was drinking. Everyone else looked shocked and surprised that someone had the balls to steal an S-Class mission.

“Oh that?” Talise knitted her brows as she and the rest of the guild heard Laxus speak out. “I saw a cat with wings steal one of the jobs yesterday.” Talise covered her face and closed her eyes. She prayed she heard him wrong.

“HAPPY!!” Mirajane said in shock.

“That idiot…” Gray muttered. “Lucy’s probably with him too.”

“I knew the boy was stupid. Never thought he was tha’ stupid.” said Bisca as she pulled down her hat over her face.

Laxus moved himself over the rail to get a better look at the guild below him. “There’s no doubt this is a serious violation. They broke a principal rule.” He then eyed the Master. “Gramps!! When they return, they’ll get kicked out immediately… right?” Talise stared angrily at Laxus as he kept shouting out the unfortunate obvious. “Not that they’ll be coming back. I mean… taking on an S-Class job with their pathetic skills. They’re deader than dead.”

Mirajane had her hands on her hips and frowned at him. “Laxus, if you knew about this, why didn’t you try and stop them!?”

The lightning mage glanced at her before he turned around and walked back to his seat. “I just thought it was a thieving cat running away with a piece of paper in its mouth. I had no idea it was Happy.” He said deviously. “And who would’ve thought that Natsu would run off with an S-Class mission.”

Makarov sighed and placed a hand over his tired eyes. “This is bad.” he muttered. “Which job did they take?”

Talise watched as Mira walked to the bar with an angry face. “The Cursed Island of Galuna.”

He almost fell over the bar. “THE ISLAND OF DEMONS!!”

Everyone quickly chattered about the news. More than half of the guild had deemed Team Natsu stupid for taking such a dangerous mission. Talise put back her hands over her face and prayed Lucy, Natsu, and Happy hadn’t reached the island yet. She would also have to tell Lisa about this and how much of a failure she was at keeping Natsu out of trouble.

The Master stood up from his seat at the bar. “Laxus bring them back NOW!!” he demanded.

Laxus laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous! I have my own mission to take care of. Besides… there isn’t a mage in this guild who can’t take care of themselves, right?”

Makarov glared at his grandson; mocking him with his own words. Red in the face he yelled, “Who else here, aside from you, can force Natsu to come back!!”

Talise heard the sound of wood scraping loudly against the floor. She removed her hands from her face and saw Gray standing with a frown. “Gramps, I can’t forgive you for that insult.” he said. The cook stood still before she realized what was happening.

“I’ll do it.” said Gray.

* * *

       “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!!! WHAT’S GOTTEN INTO YOU!! HUH!!! YOU’RE MORE LEVEL HEADED THAN THIS!!! THIS IS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE STUPIDEST DECISIONS YOU’VE EVER MADE!! YOU’RE A MORON!! YOU KNOW THAT!!? A COMPLETE AND UTTER MORON!!”

Gray ignored Talise as he went to the small closet he had in his room and took out a black messenger bag. Not like it mattered since it was a small retrieval mission, but he liked to be prepared if anything should happen.

After taking the job of retrieving Natsu and the rest, Gray immediately went back to his apartment to pack. However, he didn’t go back alone. The ice mage glanced for a second at the guild’s head chef before he moved around her and grabbed a few shirts from his dresser. He didn’t think Talise would drop everything she was doing and followed him home. He was more surprised at the fact that she hasn’t stopped yelling at him since they left the guild.

Talise grabbed his arm, stopping him from putting his shirts in his bag. “ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!!?”

“Yes, I’m a moron. I get it.” he said and moved her hand away so he could place his clothes inside. “That’s not going to change my mind on this.”

Talise stared at him. “But–”

“No buts. I’m doing this Tails.” he said seriously.

Talise stared as Gray turned his back to her and organized his pack. It was like that for several minutes before she let out a small growl. She clenched her fists. She wanted to hit his stupid head. She really did. But her urge slowly dissipated and turned into nothing as she fell on her ass in defeat. There was no way for her to make him stay. He was going no matter what. Talise pulled her knees to her face and covered her face with her arms. She didn’t want to cry but she couldn’t help it. She felt hopeless.

Gray stopped for a moment when he didn’t hear Talise yelling. He looked back and saw she was on the floor. He then looked back at his pack. Gray felt bad but he knew he was doing the right thing. He couldn’t just go back to the Master and recant his decision. His ears then picked up sniffling and that’s what made him groan on the inside.

He made her cry.

It was one thing with her being sad. But Talise crying was something he couldn’t take. It hurt him. Usually it was easy to beat up the person that made her cried, but the one who made her cried this time was him.

Gray frowned. It’s been years since he did that.

He turned around and went on his knees in front of her. He then carefully placed a hand on her arm. Gray waited a few minutes to see if she would reject him. When she didn’t, he adjusted himself so he was able to hug most of her. “I’m sorry Tails. I really am. But I can’t back out of this now. Besides… you wouldn’t want Lucy, Happy, and the pink idiot dead now… do you?”

Talise slowly ceased her silent crying but she didn’t move her head. She knew he was right, but she didn’t like that he was going––not that she didn’t have any confidence in Gray. He was a strong mage but the island he was going to was beyond dangerous. It was S-Class for a reason.

“Look… I’ll be back before you even know it.”

She slowly lifted her head up; rubbing her eyes and cheeks to get rid of the tears still on her face. “You’re a bad liar….” she murmured.

Gray moved her head so she was looking at him in the eyes. “I promise you. I’ll be back before nightfall.” He reached in his pocket and held up a silver key. “Wait for me and I’ll prove to you that I’m not a liar.” He said and gave her his apartment key.

Talise stared at the key and then at him before she nodded. Gray smiled and ruffled the top of her black hair affectionately.

Several hours passed since Gray left his apartment and Talise was patiently waiting for him. She mentally kicked herself for looking like a crybaby in front of him. But she was more embarrassed at the fact that she blindly followed Gray to his home. She’s been friends with him for years, yet she’s never been inside his apartment… not once. Unlike him who has been at her house many times before.

Like most people living inside of Magnolia, he resided in an apartment complex. The only people who owned a house were the ones living in the outskirts of the city, like her or they were wealthy enough to keep their home within the city and not have to resort to renting half of it out. Gray lived at the top floor of his complex with only a small bedroom, a tiny bathroom, and a living room connecting to a kitchenette. It had the bare essentials since he was always at the guild or on job requests. So furniture was near to none; making Talise use one of Gray’s pillows as a chair in the living room.

As the minutes passed, Talise sat on the pillow… waiting. Her stomach churned with anxiety. It was killing her that she was just waiting while Gray was off getting the pink knuckle-head, his cat and the blonde. She would’ve killed the dragon idiot if she hadn’t promised to keep him safe.

Talise apologized to Lisanna again for not having Natsu in check. If she had been here, the idiot wouldn’t have pulled this stupid stunt in the first place. Her eyes watered at the thought of Lisanna…

Of Gray…

And then of her father.

She bowed her head. Her shoulders trembled with fear.

“Please, come back.” she muttered as tears rolled down her face again.

* * *

       The next day, the sun slowly rose high up in the sky. Sunlight trailed between the small cracks of the blinds in the room. The bright ray managed to hit Talise’s face, causing her to moan. She didn’t want to get up, but her back was telling her otherwise. She didn’t know why but her bed was more hard than usual. She then slowly opened her eyes and realized she wasn’t in bed. She wasn’t even in her room.

Talise shook her head and tried to remember what happened. _Yesterday… Gray…_

She quickly stood up and ran to Gray’s bedroom. It was empty. She checked the bathroom. Empty. The living room and kitchenette, all of them were empty. Talise stood in the middle of Gray’s small kitchen and felt miserable. She dropped to her knees and gripped her fists.

“The idiot… he never came back last night.” she muttered.

She stayed in place for what seemed like an hour. It wasn’t long before she lifted herself up and left Gray’s kitchen. She walked to the door and checked the knob. It was still unlocked. Talise didn’t lock it just in case Gray did come back during the night. She didn’t want him to be locked out and sleep out in the cold. But that didn’t matter, since he didn’t return.

With a frown, Talise took the key Gray had entrusted her with, locked the door, and left.

After stopping at her house to take a shower and change into a new pair of clothes, Talise made her way to the guild. She knew she was four hours late, but she didn’t care. When she walked in Mirajane tried to speak to her about what happened after she and Gray left but Talise didn’t say anything. She only headed towards the kitchen and started prepping for the upcoming orders.

Following a full hour of service, Mira went inside the kitchen to talk to Talise. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Talise didn’t say anything as she started chopping several cabbage heads.

“Come on Tali, talk to me. You’re making me worry.”

Again she said nothing.

“If this is about Gray going after Natsu and the rest, you don’t have to worry. He’ll be back before you even–” Mira jumped as Talise brought the knife she had down really hard on the cutting board.

Talise stared at the knife and muttered, “He told me he was going to be back before nightfall.”

Mirajane observed Talise for a while before she made a weak smile. “Y–You know… it’s impossible for him to do it before nightfall. At best, he needs a day… if not a little more, depending on how far Natsu and the rest have gone.” Mira watched as Talise took her knife again and continued chopping the cabbage. “You’ll see. By tomorrow, Gray will be back with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.”

The chef said nothing as she placed the cabbage in a large bowl and began washing it thoroughly. Mira sighed and went back outside. She hoped, for Talise’s sake, that she would be right and that Gray would come back the next day.

The following day, Gray still wasn’t back.

Or the next.

Three days passed since his departure for Team Natsu and since then Talise has been getting worrier as well as angrier.

Most people tried not to bring up Gray in fear that she would blow up on them. She had stormed out in anger twice when several people had mentioned the ice mage wasn’t back yet. It wasn’t until the evening of the third day that rumor spread around about the Master sending Erza after the four of them. Knowing Erza was after the idiots made Talise worry less, but her anger didn’t settle down.

Two more days passed and she knew she was at her limit.

At the end of the fifth day Talise gave up on being angry. She just wanted everyone to come back safely. Even Erza, however scary she was to Talise. At this point she knew the idiots were trying doing the S-Class mission. With Erza at their aid, maybe they would be able to complete it and come home alive. The real question was how much longer did she need to wait for Gray and the others to return?

Talise sighed and threw herself over the coffee table in her living room.

The key Gray gave her was set right in front of her. Every day, after work, she’d stop by his apartment and hoped he was pulling a mean prank on her. But each time she looked for Gray in his small apartment she grew sadder at the reality. Talise rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the tears she had.

She then turned to the Lisanna’s memorial with a sigh. “Why did we fall in love with a bunch of morons, Lisa?”

The flames of the candles flickered and she took that as an I–Don’t–Know. Talise groaned and slid off the table. She lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling above.

The cook prayed they were alright. She didn’t want Lisanna’s portrait to be joined by anyone else’s.


	5. The Assault On The Guild

       The next morning Talise went to work in a slightly better mood than she’s been the rest of the week. Most thought of it as a small blessing that she wasn’t mad anymore. However, most knew deep down she was still worried sick about Gray.

As the day passed and evening rolled in, Talise hoped she wouldn’t be counting off months off of her calendar back in her personal kitchen. The cook sighed as she took a tray and started filling it up with dirty dishes left by the members of the guild. The mess hall was mostly empty save for Mirajane, Elfman, and Reedus. Like the mornings, most people rarely are around for the dinner service.

When Talise’s tray was full she carefully went back to the kitchen. However, as soon as she reached the doors she smelled something strange. The odor was gone before she had the chance to recognize it. She decided to ignore it, went in the kitchen, and placed the tray in the sink filled with water. She left the dishes to soak and headed out when she smelled the same odor again.

Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t like that she didn’t know what that smell was.

Mirajane saw Talise just standing at the kitchen doors with a frown, not moving. “Tali… are you okay?” she asked.

The chef refocused her attention with a nod. “Yeah, I might be a bit tired. It’s been a long day.” she told Mira. The waitress took her answer and returned to drying several clean mugs she had on her. Talise; however, was on alert. She feared something was going to pop out of nowhere.

She made herself look busy by taking a broom and swept around the guild. Half an hour passed and nothing occurred. Talise shook her head. She was silly for thinking something was going to happen.

“I think we’re going to close for today.” Mira announced.

Talise was glad. She really wanted to go home and sleep. But not before stopping by Gray’s apartment as usual.

At Mirajane’s announcement, Reedus stood up and headed towards the door. Before he could say goodnight to Talise, the room started to shake and a number of thick steel poles started going through the guild. Elfman, with his quick reflexes, grabbed his elder sister and ducked down behind the bar. He shielded her underneath him from the glass bottles that exploded from the pillars coming out of nowhere.

Talise managed to dodge one of the poles coming at her, but she ended hitting her back hard against the edge of a table. She then felt something nick her on her waist. She hissed in pain. But at that moment another pole came at her again. She didn’t have time to dodge, so it hit her right shoulder hard. Reedus saw Talise get knocked down by the force of the pole onto a pile of broken wood. Talise cried out in pain on contact. Regardless of the ache, she was somewhat safe from the assault of pillars that kept coming.

Minutes later the attack suddenly stopped. Everyone stood still, and waited for another wave to come. They were all relieved when none came afterwards.

Talise moaned as she tried to get up. But the damage she took was big. Reedus came by to help her and in a quiet voice asked, “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know…” she muttered as she tried to stand. She swayed around, but Reedus was able to grab her before she fell again. Talise hissed when he grabbed her waist. The large man muttered an apology and tried to handle her as carefully as possible. Elfman and Mirajane then joined up with them as Talise tried to use Reedus’ arm for support. They showed no signs of any injuries expect for Elfman, who had a few cuts on his arm and cheek.

“What the hell was that?” asked Elfman.

“I don’t know. Whatever it was, I have to report it to the Master.” Mira said.

“Isn’t he in one of his meetings?” Talise said.

“Yes… but this can’t wait until morning.” Mira said as she headed to the second story. “Until then, I’m initiating protocol: G.U.A.”

Talise stood in disbelief. “NO! I don’t wanna stay here on standby!!” she protested, “What if we’re attacked again!?”

“You know the rules.” said Elfman with his arms crossed. “No one’s to leave. Not until the Master’s present and says so.”

“But that’ll be until tomorrow! And besides, I’m in need of a medic!” Talise gesture to messy being, especially her shoulder which was beginning to bruise. This pretty much counted as an emergency to give her a pass on the stupid protocol. Surely Elfman would have a heart and let her go.

“Rules are rules. A real man doesn’t break them.” he said.

Talise glared at him and scoffed. “A real man would take an injured woman to the hospital.” she said but Elfman didn’t hear her. He left to stand guard at the front entrance. She looked down at herself and saw her torn blue shirt faintly red on her left side. She sighed and looked at Reedus, who stared at her with sympathy. “Mind helping me see if I haven’t broken anything?”

The art mage nodded and helped her to the nearest table that was still intact.

* * *

        The following morning Talise woke up in a bitter mood. Not only was her back aching all night but the bruise on her shoulder didn’t disappear. She was lucky she didn’t break any bones but the color of her skin turned from brown to blue to purple. She was embarrassed by the hideous color standing out so she had Reedus help her wrapped her shoulder as well as the long cut she had on her waist. What’s more she, Reedus, Mira, and Elfman had moved down to the guild’s basement just in case another attack came at them again. Talise was just glad she didn’t have to take a turn keeping guard during the night. But it didn’t matter. She was so nervous of another attack coming that she didn’t get a wink of sleep.

When morning came, they were all safe for the time being.

Talise groaned as she tried to get up from the makeshift bed Mira made for her near several crates in the back. It was only a few sheets and a pillow from the guild’s emergency kits. When she started to move, Mirajane came over and helped her up to one of the chairs Elfman and Reedus had set up, along with several tables from the upper floors.

“Master came back an hour ago.” Mira informed her and went to one of the crates that had a white bundle. “He left for the moment but he’ll be back again, soon.” She picked it up and placed the makeshift ice pack on the cook’s bad shoulder. Talise winced when the ice touched her skin. “In the meantime, we have to stay a little while longer in the basement… until we have most of the guild back and informed.” Talise groaned to which Mira gave her a kindly smile. “Don’t worry. It won’t be for the whole day. I promise.”

Talise could only mope as she sat tending her wound until the Master returned again.

As the morning passed, most of the guild entered the basement and were up to date on what happened during the night. A lot people consoled Mira and Talise, especially the cook when they saw the state she was in.

When the Master did come back, he went straight to Talise and took a good look at her. He then grabbed her unoccupied hand and asked, “How are you, Talise.”

She looked to her bandaged shoulder then to her Master. “I–I’m fine. I just have a small cut and a bruise. It’s no big deal.” she said quietly.

Makarov gave her one last look before he patted her hand and walked away. The basement went quiet when they saw the Master stand in the middle of the room. “It seems our rival, Phantom Lord, had assaulted us last night.” He stated.

Talise frowned. She should have known it was them. There wasn’t a guild that hated Fairy Tail as much as Phantom Lord. What bothered her was that she didn’t recognize the scent that was looming before the attack. She could detected a Phantom Lord member by the disgusting wet rat odor the Master of that guild wore as it was on all of the members.

But the attacker didn’t smell like him.

She placed the wet pack that used to be ice on the table. It troubled her that there might be new people she didn’t know of in Phantom Lord. Unlike the rest of her friends, she didn’t know much of their rival’s goings on; which Gray purposely made sure of. He and several of the guild members thought that she didn’t need to be involved in the scuffles they had with Phantom Lord. But she liked to be informed of who is a possible danger to her and her friends. And new people in Phantom Lord meant that they might be more powerful than before.

Another hour and the guild started to get busy. Since the kitchen was a wreck, Talise didn’t need to do any work today. However, with her bruised shoulder and aching back, she wouldn’t have been able to even if the kitchen was still intact. As time passed by she was slowly getting cranky. The cook had half a mind to get up and go home. She missed her comfy bed and needed a good shower to soothe her.

“THEY’RE BACK!!” someone yelled out.

Talise looked to the stairs that led up to the main floor and saw Mirajane, Team Natsu, Erza, and Gray coming down. Her heart felt relieved when she saw they were alright. She would have welcomed them but they were quickly overtaken by the other members of the guild, commentating on what happened while they were gone. It wasn’t five seconds later that Natsu, followed by Erza, went straight to the Master, who was enjoying a mug of beer on top of one of the crates.

The old man looked up from his drink and smiled. “Yo, welcome back~”

“Why the hell are you all just sitting around down here!? It isn’t happy hour, gramps!!” cried Natsu.

“Oooh, right you are.” He said and he put his mug down, “YOU BRATS!! HOW DARE YOU GO ON AN S-CLASS MISSION WITHOUT PERMISSION!!” Team Natsu and Gray stood in shock as he started scolding them. “Prepare yourself!! I’ll be giving you your punishments now!!”

“NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!!” yelled the dragon slayer.

However the Master ignored the boy and began head chopping him and Happy. He then slapped Lucy’s butt, to which Mirajane told him to behave. Natsu rubbed his head and noticed Gray was left unharmed.

“WHY DIDN’T GRAY GET HIT!!? HE ALSO WENT WITH US!!” Natsu complained.

Makarov didn’t say anything and continued drinking his beer. Gray smirked at Natsu, who glared at him for not getting punished. But it wasn’t long before Gray felt something hit his head then the back of his legs. He fell to the ground, face-first.

Everyone watched as Talise stood behind the fallen mage and said, “That’s for lying to me and giving me a heart attack! YOU IDIOT!”

Gray groaned and withered in pain as Talise walked away from him, muttering to herself how much she hated the moron right now. After the punishments were done, Natsu went on complaining about Phantom Lord ruining their guild; which the Master ignored and kept drinking his beer.

Talise sighed as she went back to her seat. She really needed more sleep. She couldn’t take Natsu’s voice right now.

“What happened.”

The cook turned her head and stared back at Gray’s dirtied face. She would have laughed at the sight of him had she not been in a crappy mood. Talise shrugged with her good shoulder and said, “I had a lousy night, is all.”

Gray frowned as he took in her condition. Her black wavy hair was a rat’s nest. Her right shoulder was all bandaged up. But was made him glare at the sight of her was her dirty tattered shirt with dried blood. Talise was scared under his glare. She didn’t think he would be furious at her for kicking him to the ground.

“Will you calm down!!” the Master cried. “It’s not something to make a fuss about–”

“WHAT!!?” yelled both Natsu and Gray.

“This is as far as those idiots will go. I don’t see why they even bothered attacking–”

“What about Tails!” Gray cried. “They’ve wounded her!!” From the corner of his eye he saw Talise about to retort but he stopped her. “Don’t even think about saying you’re fine!” Talise pouted as Gray went back to the Master. “They have to pay for what they’ve done!” he demanded.

“Even so, there’s no need to get cross with someone who resorts to surprise attacks.” The Master waved his hand nonchalantly. “Leave them be. It’ll just be a waste of time.”

Natsu gritted his teeth and smashed one of the crates nearby. “THAT’S UNACCEPTABLE!! I WON’T SETTLE DOWN UNTIL WE GO AND CRUSH THEM!!!”

“This discussion is over.” The Master said sternly. “We’ll take on job requests here until the first floor is repaired.”

“WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR JOBS!!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!” The Master made his hand large and smacked Natsu to the floor as punishment. Then, without another word, he got down from the crate he was sitting and left the basement.

Talise sighed and gingerly touched her injured arm in comfort. She knew they wanted revenge but it would be stupid. They would be breaking a principal law of the magic council if they did. War wasn’t worth over a broken building, a cut, and a bruise.

“This isn’t fair!!” Natsu cried.

“We know, but you know warfare between guilds is prohibited by the council.” Mirajane said.

“BUT THEY WERE THE ONES WHO ATTACKED US!!! WHAT’S MORE WE HAVE AN INJURED MEMBER!!” he cried and pointed to their cook. “THEY HAVE TO PAY!!”

Erza stood in front of Natsu and with a serious tone said, “Regardless, it’s what the Master says. And we have to accept it.” 

* * *

        It was a dark day for everyone in Fairy Tail, but Talise was more than happy when Mirajane told her she was free to leave the guild. Not taking a second chance to question it, she immediately ran out of the basement and headed home. She ignored her name being called out several times.

All that was in her mind was getting home.

Talise closed the door behind her with a pant. She didn’t know she would be so happy to be home. The cook wandered over to her living room, and gently sat on her couch. She closed her eyes and tried to rest for a moment. However, it was short lived when someone banged on her door furiously.

“TAILS!! OPEN THE DOOR!! NOW!!!”

She made a face. She loved whenever Gray visited her, but now was not a good time. Talise didn’t have the strength to go back and open the door for him. Instead she sat with her eyes closed tighter and tried to ignore Gray beating the crap out of her door. It took five minutes of non-stopped pounding for him to stop. The quietness got Talise to open her eyes and wonder what Gray was doing outside. She then heard the door slam opened and Talise moaned. She re-closed her eyes as she heard his footstep running towards the living room.

Without looking at him, she muttered, “What.”

Gray was flustered and a little out of breath but he still had energy to say, “Don’t you what me. Why did you leave the guild?”

She ignored his question and asked, “How did you get in?” Talise opened her eyes and gave Gray a look. “Did you break my door?”

He gave her his own look and showed her a bronze key hooked around his middle finger. “Did you forget I used to live here too.” Talise pouted. She didn’t forget. She just didn’t know if he remembered where the extra key was hidden. “Now answer my question. Why’d you leave?! You know it’s dangerous with Phantom Lord out to get us! You need to be more careful!!”

The cook growled, irritated. “I’ve been stuck at the guild all night and day!! I haven’t eaten, showered, or had a decent amount of sleep! So I’m sorry if I just took off when I got the chance!!”

Gray stepped back. “I… I didn’t… sorry–I just… I don’t want you to get hurt by them…” he eyed her bandaged shoulder, “again.”

Talise felt bitter for yelling at him. She knew he meant well. And she appreciated that he worried about her. But the lack of energy was making her act stupid. She sighed deeply. “Don’t worry. I’m safe now. It’s like Master said, Phantom are a bunch of weak morons. They’re too scared to do anymore than this. Plus, you know very well that Maple Lodge is safe place. They’ll never be able to find it in a million years.”

The ice mage frowned. “But… out of precaution. I don’t want you here alone for the time being.”

She waved her hand. “I’ll be fine. I have faith in this house.” She said proudly. Gray gave her a look. “What?” He turned his head and said nothing to her, which made Talise frown. “Are you thinking Freed’s ruins aren’t good enough anymore?”

“No… I’ll feel a lot better if you weren’t here–”

“But being here is safe–”

“The guild was supposed to be safe and look how you ended up!!” He gestured to her shoulder. “You can’t stay here–”

“I am and will! I trust this house and I trust Freed–” Gray scoffed. Talise glared at him. “WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE THIS? YOU NEVER GAVE THIS HOUSE A SECOND THOUGHT BEFORE!! WHY DON’T YOU TRUST FREED–”

“IF YOU KNEW WHAT HE’S BEEN UP TO LATELY!! YOU WOULDN’T TRUST HIM OR THIS HOUSE!!!”

Talise was taken aback. She didn’t think Gray would yell at her like that.

Gray growled in frustration. “Look… I’m sorry Tails. But I would feel a whole lot better if you were somewhere else… with me.”

She didn’t say anything. Talise stayed quiet for a while, which bothered Gray. It wasn’t like this was the first time he had yelled at her. He had done so multiple times in the past. But that was when they were little. And the gap between then and now was large. He rubbed his neck, anxiously. Talise’s gaze was fixated on the floor. He hoped he didn’t make her feel bad.

Talise was out of it. She didn’t know what to think. She was slightly happy that Gray was concerned over her. But at the same time she was upset that he thought Maple Lodge wasn’t safe anymore. But his words about Freed doing something bad, stuck in her mind. The Freed she knew wasn’t evil. What was he doing that was making it seem like he was. She couldn’t shake the sad feeling of being out of the loop again.

She’s was always the last one to know about everything.

Her mind was brought back to reality when she felt Gray grab a hold of her. She was stunned at the sudden hug that she didn’t realize him breaking away, taking her hand, and lead her away from her living room. Gray was able to get her outside and follow the path into town. Talise didn’t want to leave her home. But she didn’t have the will to break free from him. She was in his hands now.

Fifteen minutes later, the two were walking down Strawberry Street. Talise didn’t care where they were going. All she had in her mind was that they were holding hands. It’s been ages since they’ve done that. She didn’t realize how big Gray’s hand had gotten. How rough and cold they were…

“Tails!”

“Eh? What!” she cried. Talise went red. Gray gave her a weird look, which made her even more uncomfortable. Her eyes quickly averted to the ground. She felt stupid that she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings.

“I said we’re here.”

Talise immediately looked to where here was. They were in front of a three storied pink house with a bricked roof. She was confused. Why were they here? And who lived here? The two entered through the front door which led to a short narrowed brick hallway. On their left and right there were wooden doors. She was even more curious when Gray led her through the left door.

The first thing she saw was Erza hugging Natsu, who looked like he was in pain. The sight of Erza made Talise freeze on the spot. Gray sighed and had to gently push her inside the room. He assumed she would be like that, which is why he didn’t say anything to her on the way over.

“AH! You’re finally here!” Erza said when she saw Gray and Talise enter. She let go of the dragon slayer and went to hug Talise, but Gray interfered.

“Wait! She’s still injured Erza!” he said as he made himself a shield for Talise.

“Oh. Yes, I had forgotten about that. I apologize.” Erza said and went back to the pink bed that was in the room.

Talise gave a small look to Gray, which he return with an apologetically one. She would have kicked Gray for making come to an unknown house with Erza of all people. But she couldn’t. Her body wouldn’t relax with Erza’s dark eyes watching her every move.

“Talise.” The cook went rigid as Erza addressed her. “I know you’re injured, but seeing as we have come in as intrusions, I must ask if you can fix up a meal for our host.” Talise couldn’t help but nod dumbly on command.

An hour later Talise was able to calm down a bit. Being in her zone she was able to forget about Erza. She mentally thanked Natsu for occupying the S-ranked mage while she made dinner. With some help from Gray and Happy, Talise manage to cook a platter of fish and some soup with the little ingredients that were in the house. However, she felt a little guilty. They totally invaded Lucy’s home. She didn’t think a meal was enough to forgive them.

As Talise brought out a pot of tea she just made, she blushed furiously when she saw Gray, sitting around the table that was set up, in his boxers. She was about to tell him to put his clothes back on when she took in the bandages on his torso. She was surprised back at the guild seeing everyone fine from the Galuna Island mission. Talise didn’t think that there might be injuries that were hidden from her view. Her chest tightened. She didn’t like seeing Gray hurt.

Gray noticed her looking at him with a red face. He gave her a look then glanced at himself. The mage jumped when he saw he was in his boxers again. Gray cursed under his breath. He knew what she was staring at. He thought he was doing a good job hiding the bandages he got from their mission. But now the cat was out of the bag. He sighed and walked over to her. He ignored her stares and took the teapot she had. He ushered Talise to sit on the chair he sat on. Talise froze when she noticed Erza was sitting right next to her. Gray sighed. He thought she would be alright by now. She seemed fine when she was cooking.

“Hey! Where’s my chair!!?” cried Natsu.

“You sit on the floor.” Gray said as he placed the teapot on the table and pushed in Talise’s chair.

Natsu glared at the ice mage. He would have done something to him but Erza was in the room. So with a pout he planted his butt on the ground. Right after that, the front door was open and in came Lucy and her strange white creature. The girl was in total shock when she saw the five of them in her home.

“Welcome back.” Erza and Happy said to her.

“WHY ARE YOU HERE!!?” she screamed.

“Since the guild’s been attacked, we can assume that members of Phantom Lord are in town.” explained Erza as she poured herself a cup of tea.

“And it’s possible that they are aware of where everyone in the guild is living.” Talise looked over at Gray and was about to say something but Gray beat her to it. “Don’t even say it. It’s not safe for you too.”

Lucy looked uneasy. She didn’t like the news she was getting.

“Mira said it’ll be safer if we all stay in groups for a while.” said Happy. Lucy didn’t take the cat’s answer seriously. “Really! Everyone’s having a bunch of sleepover tonight!”

Erza nodded. “You’re of marriageable age; I wouldn’t feel right if only Natsu spent the night here.” she said and took a sip of tea. “That’s why I had decided to join him as well.”

“And I thought it be better for Tails if she were in a bigger group tonight.” Gray said and started stroking the top of Talise’s head. “You know, since it’s better than being alone… outside the city.” He said stressing the last part. Talise internally struggled, he knew she wouldn’t talk back if he was petting her.

Lucy raised the brow as she watched the two. Gray stroking the guild’s cook intrigued her. What kind of relationship did they have? She would’ve asked, but her attention was quickly turned to the trio of monsters, a.k.a.: Natsu, Erza, and Happy, who were going through her personal stuff and messing up her home.

Ten minutes later, Lucy was able to get her home, more or less, arrange back to it was. It was then, Erza turned and glared at Natsu, Gray, and Talise.

“We have a problem. You guys reek of sweat.” Erza stated out loud. Talise sunk her head. She was embarrassed that she smelled bad. “Since we’ll be sleeping in the same room, I suggest you all take a shower.” The boys rejected her suggestion while Talise said nothing. It made Erza’s eye twitched. “I guess there’s no other way…” She sighed with discontent. Erza grabbed the two boys under her arms and moved them behind Talise’s chair. “We can all shower together, just like in the old days.” She sweetly said.

All of them froze. They knew what she really meant. And her version of taking a shower wasn’t normal. Gray and Natsu grabbed the back of Talise’s chair and pulled away from Erza’s grasp. They hauled themselves as far away as possible from the red haired demon.

After several minutes of debate, Erza decided the girls would shower while the boys would be sprayed with body spray Lucy had. Talise was able to crack a smile as she watch Gray and Natsu suffer from the large cloud of perfume Erza forced them in. In Erza’s mind, it was better than them stinking up the place.

Talise was very grateful Lucy didn’t mind sharing her bath and give her a spare change of clothes. She was in a much better mood after her shower. Talise made sure to keep the cuts she had bandaged. However, Lucy didn’t have enough for her to cover up the ugly bruise. Talise didn’t mind too much. The pink t-shirt, she lent her, was enough to cover most of it. At least she wasn’t showing most of the ugly mark to everyone; especially Gray.

When Talise finally got out of the bathroom she made a beeline to Gray, who was leaning against Lucy’s writing desk. She sat down on the empty chair next to him. Her nose twitched from the overpowering smell of peach. Talise smiled to herself. He still smells fruity.

The room was very quiet as everyone waited for Lucy to finish showering. Natsu and Happy were on Lucy’s small dining table, while Erza was content sitting on the Lucy’s bed; contemplating on which pajama she would be wearing. From of the corner of her eye, Talise saw Gray glared at the small bit of her bruise that wasn’t covered by the shirt. She sighed. The atmosphere was very uncomfortable. Even Happy wasn’t saying much. He was too busy having a staring contest with Lucy’s white dog thing.

“Do you guys have any idea why Phantom Lord suddenly attacked us?” Lucy asked as she came out of the bathroom.

“I don’t know… we’ve had our fair share of scuffles in the past. But there’s never been such a direct attack like this before.” Erza explained, finally settling with a pair of red pajamas covered in crosses with hearts.

“Gramps should quit being scared. We can kick their ass in an instant.” Natsu grumbled.

“You know Gramps isn’t scared.” Gray added. He took his eyes off of Talise’s injury and said, “Did you forget he’s one of the Ten Holy Mages.”

“Ten Holy Mages?” Lucy repeated.

“It’s a title given by the chairmen of the Magic Council to the ten greatest mages on the continent.” Erza explained.

“M–Master Jose… of Ph–Phantom Lord… is one as well.” Talise added timidly. As soon as she said that Erza glared harshly at the ground. Talise shut up immediately, thinking she had upset the older woman.

“HE IS AFRAID!! HE’S SCARED THAT PHANTOM LORD HAS TOO MANY MEMBERS TO HANDLE!!” cried Natsu.

“That’s not true!” Gray said with a glare. “Both Master and Mira want to avoid a war. They know what the aftermath would be if the two guilds fought. This is to protect the peace and order of the magic world.”

Lucy looked amazed. “Is Phantom really that strong?”

Natsu scoffed. “Those guys are nothing.”

“No.” Erza said solemnly. “In reality, if it came to an actually battle, neither guild would survive. Our battle potential is equal with theirs at the moment. Master Makarov is equally strong as Master Jose, since both of them are a Holy Mage. That aside, there’s also their S-Class mages, the Element Four. But our biggest concern is Black Steel, Gajeel.” Erza took a moment to look at Talise and her injured shoulder. “I suspected he was the one behind the attack on the guild last night… the Iron Dragon Slayer.”

“Erza, that’s enough.” demanded Gray.

The older woman gave him a puzzling look. He gestured to Talise, who had her eyes to the ground. She immediately understood and muttered an apology to him. Gray was slightly mad Erza had said too much. Obviously he had his suspicion of who actually attacked the guild and hurt Talise. But she didn’t need to know that. He didn’t want her to worry about it. That’s why he kept her in the dark.

He glared heavily at the dark purple shape peeking out from under the pink shirt Talise wore. That Dragon Slayer hurt someone precious to him. He wanted revenge. And he wanted it now.

Talise was stunned to say anything. She didn’t know there was another Dragon Slayer out there. Talise lifted her gaze a bit and stared at Natsu, who was irritated by Lucy talking about the other Dragon Slayer. She had thought Natsu was the only one…

She wouldn’t lie that it didn’t peaked her interest. But at the same time, it made her worried. If this Iron Dragon Slayer was as powerful as Natsu, then Phantom Lord was surely a guild to be reckoned with now.


	6. Fairies vs. Phantoms

       Early the next morning Team Natsu, Gray, Talise, and Erza were up and awake.  While their sleeping arrangements weren’t as comfortable as Talise had hope for, it was way better than the guild’s basement floor she was on the previous night. However, it wasn’t the lack of sleep that awoke the mages.

At five in the morning someone had the gull to furiously bang on Lucy’s front door. The noise immediately woke everyone up. Four of the five were thinking it was danger, while the other didn’t want her landlady kicking her out because of the loud racket being made.

Natsu and Gray were the first ones at the door, ready to attack whoever it was. When Gray opened it, they saw it was a Cana in distress. All she could say was, “HURRY! FOLLOW ME!!” They didn’t question her and quickly ran out the house after her. They didn’t even think of bother to change out of their sleeping attire.

In less than ten minutes Cana led the group to Magnolia’s South Gate Park.

Talise was confuse as to why they were at the park and why there was an abnormally large amount of people out early in the day. The group was able to get pass most of the mob surrounding the park’s main tree. And once they got to the front, Talise and Lucy gasped in shock.

On the main oak tree, which was in the center of the park, hanged Jet, Levi, and Droy all battered, torn, and bruised. Thick strips of metal were on their arms, keeping them in place as if they were being crucified. Talise wasn’t close to Team Shadow Gear, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel anything stir in her as she gazed at the Phantom Lord symbol on Levy’s exposed stomach.

They’ve gone too far.

The crowd then parted as someone slowly made their way through. Talise and the rest watched their Master, with his staff in hand, walk right in front of the tree Team Shadow Gear was pinned to.

Makarov silently gaze at his three mages. Bit by bit he trembled with anger. “Wrecking our shoddy guild with minimal injury I can bear with…” he said calmly. “But no parent can remain silent after seeing their children battered like this!!!”

The Master broke his wooden staff in half.

A large surge of magic came out from him as he cried, “THIS MEANS WAR!!!”

After Team Shadow Gear was taken down, they were rushed to the city’s hospital for immediate care. The majority of Fairy Tail was then up to speed of what had happened that morning. And everyone agreed that justice needed to be served.

Talise was at the guild’s basement with Mirajane, watching everybody getting ready to destroy Phantom Lord. It was a given that both the cook and the waitress would stay behind where it would be safe. Lucy was also not going. She wanted to stay at Levy’s side until she and her team woke up.

The cook was fearful by the second. She didn’t want the guild, especially Gray, to go to war. But everyone agreed that Phantom Lord needed to pay. She got that. But what didn’t want was for her friends… for Gray to go out and get hurt. Now that she knew Phantom was just as strong as Fairy Tail, she knew damage would be sustained on both sides. Talise bit her lip. She hoped it ended more on Phantom’s side than theirs.

Mirajane took a glance at Talise and saw her troubled face. She was going to say something to comfort her when Gray came up to them and took Talise’s hands in his.

“Promise me, you’ll stay with Mira.” Talise was about to rebuttal, but Gray put a hand up; signaling her to stop. “I mean it Tails. Don’t you DARE go ANYWHERE without Mira. You got that.” Talise made a face. The cook saw from the corner of her eye Mirajane shake her head with a smile. “Answer me Tails.”

She moved her face away and tiredly muttered, “I promise.”

Gray smiled softly and enveloped her in a tight hug. “We’ll be back later.” Talise hesitantly nodded. Without another word, Gray let go of her and joined the rest of the guild.

Natsu raised his hands in the air and lit them on fire. “WE’RE GUNNA DESTROY THOSE ASEHOLES!!!”

The guild cheered after Natsu. And no soon after did he and Master Makarov lead most of Fairy Tail outside towards Oak Town.

Mirajane gave Talise a hesitant smile as the cook stared up the staircase. She placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry Tali… everyone’s going to be fine.” Talise didn’t turn to the waitress. She was concerned when Talise didn’t say anything in return. She let a sigh out and let her be. Mira knew she was beyond worried for her beloved ice prince.

A good two hours passed and it was killing Talise.

The cook went from staring up the stairs to pacing around them. She was getting antsy. The more the minutes passed by the more she worried about Gray, Natsu, Master, and everyone else who left. Mira was seated on a chair, her hands connected together at her lap. Talise wondered how the older woman wasn’t as anxious as she was.

“I think they’re winning.” Mira said trying to lighten the mood. Talise stopped her pacing and glanced at the waitress. She then looked to the stairs again. “Don’t you?” Talise took a minute before she gave her a nod and started pacing around again.

Another hour passed and Talise didn’t know if she could keep waiting.

She had finished pacing around the room and decided to sit on the ground, next to the staircase. Mirajane was still where she was, fiddling with the fabric of her dress. Even she had begun to grow anxious with the wait.

Talise quickly looked up when her ears picked up something.

Mirajane was taken from her thoughts when she noticed Talise standing up, looking at the basement ceiling. “What is it?”

The cook closed her eyes and tried to hear what was up above. It sounded like muttering and various footsteps. She opened her eyes and looked at the waitress. “Someone’s on the first floor.”

The older woman stood up and gave her a look before she went upstairs to find out what the real cause was. Talise waited several minutes until someone came back down. She was elated to see it was Gray. However, her face didn’t match his glum bitter one.

Her smile faltered and became nervous again.

* * *

       Talise was lost with words. Gray had told her how the battle went. They seemed to be winning; getting Phantom Lord down to its knees was how they’d predict it would be. What they didn’t know was that their Master had fallen into a trap and had his magic completely taken away from him. Erza had ordered a retreat and Phantom Lord took that chance to fully over take them with force.

The cook looked down at the tray of mugs filled with water. She didn’t think it would be this bad. But war was war. And they had a major casualty. Talise hoped Bisca and Alzack weren’t too late taking their Master to Polyusica.

“Ugh, Talise, couldn’t you have made this taste better.” The girl turned her attention to Moyer, a mage with short sandy hair. He looked totally fine, besides half of his right arm being in bandages. “No offense, but this has got to be THE worst thing you’ve ever gave me.”

Talise’s eye twitched. “I’m sorry if it doesn’t taste good.” she said with a strain. “But it’s all we have besides beer, and I am not going to add my magic to that. It won’t do you any good.” Moyer made a face and pushed the water aside. Talise frowned. She had half a mind to smack him over the head, but Gray beat her to it.

“OW! What the hell was that for!?” he cried.

“You have balls insulting Tails like that.” Gray glared hard at him. “At least she’s willing to share her magic to replenish yours. So I would apologize to her, if I were you.”

The guy went small and meekly muttered a, “Sorry” to Talise. She shrugged it off. She would’ve felt a lot better if she was able to hit the guy. Gray had to steal that from her once again.

Ignoring what happened; Talise closed her eyes and raised her left hand above the mugs of water. Gray walked over to her and watched as she made a magic circle and went to work. After a couple minutes, she was done. With help from Gray, she managed to get a good grip on her water tray.

Before she walked off, Gray stopped her by saying, “Don’t listen to him. To me, even your water taste great.”

She blushed and stuttered, “Th–Thank you.”

Talise tried to pull herself together as she walked around the basement and started giving out mugs to those who didn’t have one. She was down to three mugs, when she reached Team Natsu, who were in the back. “Do you guys want one?” she asked.

Happy declined while Natsu, without a word, took one and drank the whole thing in one gulp. He then put the mug back on the tray and muttered thanks to her. Talise nodded and gesture for Lucy to take one as well. However, the girl shook her head, quietly saying she was fine. Talise frowned. She couldn’t help but feel bad for Lucy.

When the guild came back, they were down two members. Talise was more than worried that Natsu and Happy didn’t return back with the guild. But after half an hour later, they returned with Lucy. Talise and the rest were confused as to why the Celestial mage was with them and why they all looked so miserable. They told everyone Phantom Lord’s job of returning Lucy back to her father. That’s when everyone learned Lucy was from a noble family.

“You shouldn’t worry.” Gray said as he came to small group. “We’ll get them back for this.”

“I’m not worried about that.” Lucy said softly. “It’s just…” Her eyes trailed to Talise’s bandaged arm. With glassy eyes she said, “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s the destiny of a noble daughter to be targeted by people.” Elfman added nearby. “At least you’re protected by duty-bound men.” Gray glared at the large insensitive man. Now wasn’t time for his usual man-spiel.

“But why did you hide the truth from us, Lucy?” Happy asked.

“Happy. It’s her decision if she wants to tell us something about her.” Talise said. “You can’t push a person to tell you everything about them.”

“But if I hadn’t run away in the first place, none of this would have happened.” added Lucy.

“Come on.” said Elfman. “It was your dad’s fault. He’s to blame.” Gray nudged him hard. Elfman took the hint and retracted his statement. “Er–I mean… Phantom–Phantom Lord’s to blame.”

Lucy shook her head. “I never thought my selfish actions would cause you all so much trouble… I’m truly sorry.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to not let her tears fall down. “If I just go back home, then everything will be fine… right?”

“I dunno about that.” said Natsu. “I can’t see you being some fancy princess, sitting around in a big mansion. If anything, laughing in this guild and freaking out while on an adventure suits you.” He took a step closer to her. “You said you wanted to stay with us, right? So why would you wanna go back to a place that you don’t want to be at? You’re Lucy of Fairy Tail.”

With a grin, Natsu pointed his thumb towards the guild and said, “This is where you belong.”

Gray rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as Lucy’s face was filled with tears. He turned away and was shocked to see Talise crying as well. The cook was moved by the idiot’s speech. She would have rubbed her eyes but her hands were tied up with the tray she had. Gray sighed. He moved closer to her and buried her face in his neck. He patted her head to calm her down, but it wasn’t working. She kept on crying with Lucy.

Suddenly the whole guild started to shake. Thrown off her balance, Talise dropped her tray but Gray managed to keep her on her feet by holding on to her head and waist.

“What the hell!” yelled Natsu.

Everyone looked around as the guild shook and a loud booming noise was made by the second. Alzack managed to get down to the basement and yelled, “OUTSIDE NOW!!”

Without another word everyone in the guild, exited the building from the rear entrance and stared in terror at the thing that was shaking not only the guild, but all of Magnolia. Coming from the large lake that was behind the guild was a massive fortress with metal crab legs slowly coming towards their guild. The moving island had a grand mansion with four large towers on each side.

Talise didn’t know what that thing was, but she bet Phantom Lord was behind it.

“Wh–What do we do!?” asked Wakaba.

“I never anticipated this. I can’t believe they’ll go to such extremes to attack us!” Erza said with dread. Talise was nervous. She had never seen Erza scared of anything. But this giant monstrosity was panicking not only her but the rest of the guild.

The fortress soon stopped in its tracks, right in the middle of the lake. Talise watched as one of the walls of the manor opened up and out came a long huge cannon, aimed right at them. Soon a swirl of black magic slowly gathered at the tip of the cannon.

Instinctively, Gray grabbed Talise and used himself as a shield for her.

The magic gathering at the cannon kept getting bigger and bigger. Erza, without a word, rushed to the edge of the cliff and used her Re-Equip magic to go into her Adamantine Armor.

Gray noticed Natsu running after Erza. He left Talise and tackled the pyro mage to the ground. “MORON!! DON’T!” he cried as he struggled with the boy. “You have to have faith in Erza!!!”

Talise didn’t know what to do. She was scared. Erza was strong but the ball of magic was bigger than their guild at this point. She didn’t know if Erza could block all that magic with her armor.

The cannon then shot. The large beam of magic quickly went towards them, but Erza was in a defensive stance. Connecting her shield she made a large barrier of magic to cover most of the guild. The beam made impact and shook the ground. Talise shield her eyes as a blinding light over took her sight. Her ears picked up the sounds of cracking. The light slowly dimmed, but as it did Erza’s barrier also condensed into nothing.

Everyone watched as Erza’s shield broke and the last of the beam’s force pushed her away. All of her armor was in pieces and her magic Re-Equip her back into her casual clothing.

Natsu managed to push Gray off of him and rush to Erza’s side.

“MAKAROV HAS FALLEN AND NOW ERZA CANNOT STAND!” a voice boomed from the fortress. It was Phantom Lords’ Master, Jose. “ANY CHANCE OF VICTORY IS NOW BEYOND YOUR GRASP. HAND OVER LUCY HEARTFILIA IMMEDIATELY!”

“To hell with that!!” cried Alzack.

“Like any guild will han’ over one o’ their own to their enemy!!” added Bisca.

“Lucy’s one of us!!” yelled Macao.

Most of the guild started yelling and protesting; all of them giving some version of how they will never give Lucy to Jose. Talise was with them but she couldn’t find her voice. Jose had scared her completely with the weapon he had.

Talise jumped when Natsu yelled, “YOU CAN STOP ASKING, CUZ WE WILL NEVER GIVE HER TO YOU!! WE’RE GOING TO DESTROY ALL OF YOU!!”

“IN THAT CASE, I’LL GIVE YOU AN EVEN BIGGER TASTE OF JUPITER!!” yelled Jose. “YOU’VE GOT FIFTEEN MINUTES UNTIL IT RECHARGES!!” Soon a large mass of cloaked beings started coming out of the manor. “YOU GOT TWO OPTIONS FAIRY TAIL!! EITHER BE ERADICATED BY JUPITER OR BY MY ARMY OF PHANTOM SHADES!! YOUR CHOICE!!”

That was the last of his words before his Phantom Shades started moving towards them.

Cana tsked and said, “We gotta somehow take down Jupiter.”

Natsu got to his feet and punched his fist in his hand. “I’ll smash that thing to pieces!! I just need fifteen minutes, right?” Cana nodded and it was the only thing he needed to get going. “Come on Happy!!” he cried as he ran off. Before he got to the end of the cliff, his blue flying cat grabbed him and carried him to Jose’s manor.

Elfman and Gray then took off after the dragon slayer. Everyone else agreed to stay behind to fight off Jose’s phantom army. It was then Mirajane grabbed Talise and Lucy and hurried them to the front of the guild. There they met up with Reedus.

“Where are we going?” Lucy asked.

“We have a secret hideout.” Mirajane explained. “We need you to stay there until the fighting’s over.”

Lucy pulled herself free from her grasp and said, “No! It’s my fault that we’re in this mess. I have to fight alongside everybody. I can’t just abandon them while everyone is fighting for me.”

“That’s not true. No one is thinking that at all. We’re not just fighting for you. We’re also fighting for our injured friends,” Mirajane gestured to Talise and her bandaged arm, “and the honor of our guild. Everyone is proud to fight this battle.”

She then held a hand to Lucy’s face and made a white magic circle. Lucy didn’t have time to react as she had a sleeping spell put on her. Mirajane managed to take a hold of Lucy before she fell. “Reedus take her to the hideout.” Without delay the mage lifted his shirt and painted out a large bore and a stagecoach to take them away. “And you,” Talise looked at Mira, who was more serious than she’s ever seen. “I want you to stay with them. Should anything happen, run as far away as you can. Gray will murder everyone in the guild if he knew we weren’t able to protect you.”

The cook felt bitter but she was right. If Phantom Lord didn’t eradicate the guild it would be Gray if he knew she was in harm’s way.

Mira gave Lucy to Reedus while Talise got in the carriage. As soon as Lucy was secured, the three of them took off, away from the Mirajane and the guild.

* * *

       Talise sighed as she sat on one of the crates of their so called hideout. Reedus managed to make incredible time getting them here. She looked at the cot Lucy was sleeping on while Reedus stationed himself near the front door, sketching them. She would have felt better if she was of any use.

Ten minutes later, Lucy began squirming around. She looked like she was having a bad dream. Talise went over to her and tried to gently wake her up. “Lucy. Lucy…” The mage opened her eyes with a scream. She was drenched in sweat. “Calm down. You’re okay.” Talise said as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

Lucy took a moment to breath. She looked around and saw the wooden walls and numerous crates that surrounded them. She then turned back to Talise and asked, “Wh–Where are we? I thought we were in my room.”

“We’re at the hideout.” Talise answered.

The mage looked unhappy. “They really didn’t want me fighting then.”

“Don’t look at it like that–”

“But its true!” yelled Lucy. “I lost my keys and they knew I wouldn’t be able to do anything!”

“You got it all wrong.” Reedus said from his place. “We simply want to protect our own people. That’s all there is to it.”

She opened her mouth to retort but Talise stopped her by putting her hand up. “He’s right. Don’t take it any other way.” She reassured her. “I know how you feel. You want to help so badly, but right now the best plan is to stay put–no matter how awful you feel about it.”

Lucy pushed her hand away. “But I don’t want to sit here and do nothing!”

“We don’t have any other choi–” Talise stopped. Her nose twitch as she caught the pungent smell of wet rat mixed with the odor she smelled before the guild was attack. Reedus looked up from his sketchbook and questioned why Talise didn’t finish. She then growled, “We got company.”

Reedus was taken aback by her statement but then the front door of the warehouse started to bang. The banging then started shaking the whole building. Talise placed herself in front of Lucy as Reedus got of his crate and started mixing his paints. “Girls get back.” he commanded.

The door took several more hits before it busted open. At the same time something came from the roof and went right through. At the front were two people: a bald man with glasses and a white coat as well as a female wearing a cap, cargo pants, and a ripped sleeveless shirt. Talise glared at the thing that came from the roof. Hanging upside down was a large man with long wild black hair. He was built and had multiple studs on his face and arms. What stood out were his piercing red eyes ready to kill.

“Hey fatass! Just give up and hand over the girl already.” said the female Phantom mage.

“Our boss doesn’t like to wait.” added the bald man.

Reedus started painting, then said, “Talise, take Lucy and run!” She understood. Talise grabbed Lucy’s hand with her good arm and started running to the back of the warehouse. “Picto Magic: Sliver Roar!!”

As their friend started fighting off the Phantom mages, Lucy struggled to get Talise to go back and help Reedus. But she ignored her. Talise then smelled someone coming after them and in an instant she pushed Lucy to her left and back tracked herself. Right as she did, the Iron Dragon Slayer stomped right in front of her.

He grinned with malice. “Nice reflexes, for a weak-ass fairy.” Talise glared at him. “I’m surprised you’re willing to run away. Its true then–all you fairies are pathetic.”

Talise gripped her fists tight. She didn’t know if she was trembling in fear or in anger. But she knew she didn’t like him. “Go to hell.” she hissed.

Gajeel scoffed and gave her his own glare. “This coming from a weak piece of shit.”

She didn’t respond. She had to think of a way not to engage in a fight with him. There may just be some hope for her and Lucy to get away. The only question was if the brute in front of her was a big idiot like the rest of the Phantom guild.

The dragon slayer turned to Lucy and added, “You actually like hanging out with these shitty fairies, Princess?”

She frowned. “Why, you–”

“Lucy, don’t!” cried Talise.

“Enough talk!! Let’s go!!” He thrust his arm out and turned it into a metal pillar which he drove towards the cook. Talise managed to dodge and rolled herself away. Gajeel then swung his arm and tried to smash her with it. However, she managed to evade his every swing. “WHY WON’T YOU FIGHT BACK!!” he cried.

Talise didn’t answer him. She just kept dodging his pillar hands. She then found an opening and quickly ran towards the dragon slayer at full speed.

Gajeel saw what she was trying to do and had a cocky grin. “NICE TRY!!” He thrust both his hands and made them into pillars. Talise dropped herself to the floor and rolled to the right. She then continued to run, right at Lucy. She grabbed her hand but then she quickly pushed her away from her and took a big hit in the back. That hit sent her right into the wall of the warehouse and made a crater on impact.

“TALISE!!” yelled Lucy.

Gajeel laughed. “THOUGHT YOU CAN OUTSMART ME!!?”

Talise groaned. She knew it was a stupid idea but at least Lucy was safe. She slowly got up. Her back was in more pain than before. She didn’t want to engage, especially since Mira told her the opposite, but the situation wasn’t getting any better. Their way out was blocked. And this dragon slayer was smarter than he looked. Running wasn’t an option. She had to protect Lucy. She glared at the Phantom mage. She was a part of Fairy Tail too.

Gajeel stopped his laughter when he saw the girl get up. He didn’t know the weakling would be persistent. His interest peaked when he saw her eyes started to glow bright teal. He grinned. Maybe she’ll finally put up fight.

Talise rushed at the man. He attacked again with his pillars. Both pillars then produced more metal poles sprouting outwards. Talise maneuvered herself to not getting hit by the thick rods. She ducked and rolled several times. Then she managed to jump and land on top of one of the pillars. Gajeel saw this and tried whacking her with his other arm. But Talise was fast and was able to dodge and flip over him. She landed right behind him and, with all the strength that she had, she kicked him hard in the back. Gajeel was thrown and fell several feet away from Talise.

Lucy was amazed. The gentle cook she had come to know was fierce. She didn’t know why Gray and the others wanted to protect Talise, when she was capable of fighting on her own.

The dragon slayer growled. “Bitch. You just marked your–”

Talise didn’t care what he had to said. In the middle of his speech, she ran at him and pushed him into the crates behind him. The warehouse shook. With her uninjured hand she started punching him in the face over and over again. She didn’t know if she was making any damage but at least he was getting hit.

Lucy jumped at the sudden roar emitted in their direction. She then screamed when she saw Talise be flung across the room again. The Phantom mage was beyond pissed. His face was a little bruised but it didn’t matter, he wanted to kill the girl.

Reedus was then flung in front of Lucy. She went pale, he was out cold.

Gajeel walked out of the wreckage and headed towards Talise. Without thinking Lucy ran in front of him, her form bent, hands at her waist. Lucy patted her side but there was nothing there. Gajeel grinned evilly as the girl realized she didn’t have her Celestial keys with her. With no remorse, he made one of his arms into a pillar and whacked Lucy with it, sending her flying into crates, knocking her unconscious.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Talise get up. Before she could do anything Gajeel ran at her like she did to him. He pushed her right out of the guild’s hideout, into the warehouse next door. Gajeel got up and stared at the disarrayed girl. For a moment he thought she was going to get up.

But she didn’t.

He smirked. He won their pathetic battle. He knew the bitch didn’t stand a chance against him. She was too weak. Before he left, he lifted his foot and stomped on her stomach hard. Talise opened her eyes in reaction. She crumpled up and was left withering in pain.

Wearily her ears picked up a lot of yelling and explosions. But she couldn’t focus right. Her body was too much in pain.

Her eyesight began to go black. She couldn’t take it.

The pain knocked her out cold.


	7. The Aftermath

       The first thing Talise did when she woke up was cried in pain. Never in her life had she experience so much pain like this. Banging her foot on a pillar, slicing her fingers with a sharp knife, Erza’s hugs–none of that could compare to the pain she was feeling now. Talise fluttered her eyes open and saw nothing but darkness. Where was she? What happened? She tried to get up but instantly stopped. Her stomach hurt too much to move around.

It then hit her. She fought against that Iron Dragon Slayer.

Talise winced in pain. She didn’t remember him slamming into her stomach. The cook lay back down and stayed on the floor.

How long was she out? Did Phantom win? Did they win? Were Lucy and Reedus alright? Were Natsu and Gray safe? Lots of questions surged and buzzed around in her head. She wished she had answers to any of them. When her eyes were able to adjust she moved her head to the side and saw a giant hole with a lot of debris. She didn’t think they made that much of a mess. Talise chuckled lightly, to which she regretted. The pain made every chuckle hurt like hell. She wondered if Natsu and Gray felt like this after every heavy battle they had.

Another thought hit her. How was she going to go back to the guild? With her current state, she was lucky she’d even regained consciousness. Talise mentally tsked. She knew for sure Gray would never forgive Reedus for putting her in such danger.

Talise groaned. The pain was getting worse.

For another hour Talise stayed in place; trying not to move as much. The silence, as well as the pain, was slowly putting her to sleep. Her ears then picked up several sounds. Talise prayed it was someone familiar and not a Phantom mage. That was the last thing she needed right now.

“TALS!!” yelled a voice.

“TALI!! ARE YOU HERE!!?” said another.

Talise smiled softly. It was her friends. She was relieved to hear they were okay. The cook would have spoken out her position, but instead, she let out a painful cry. She heard the sound of feet running towards her location. Her eyes were then blinded by several bright lights.

“TAILS!!”

She couldn’t see, but she knew for sure that, that was Gray. She then felt a pair of arms snake their way around her shoulders and tried sitting her up. She hissed and cried. The pain around her stomach doubled as her body bent. She heard Gray whisper many sorries and slowly got her to stand.

“Oh my–what happened Tali!!?” she heard Mirajane say.

Her mouth let out a series of mumbles that were incoherent. She cried when she felt Gray put more pressure on her waist. The Ice Mage apologized but he didn’t let go of her. All this pain was giving Talise a headache which was something she couldn’t take at the moment. She slowly slumped on Gray, who managed to get his footing with the added weight.

“Tails… badly hurt… can’t…”

“Calm down… she isn’t… needs to… hospital… now…”

Talise’s hearing was going in and out. All she kept hearing were short babbles. Talise tried to speak, but all that came out were tired moans.

“IMMA… WHO… THIS… TAILS… SHE… DIDN”T…”

“…SHE… HOSPITAL… NOW…”

Talise gave in. She was too tired to figure out who was yelling at whom.

* * *

       Gray was livid. His eyes stayed firmly on Talise, who was in bed covered in bandages asleep. How did this even happen? She wasn’t a fighter, yet those Phantom mages attacked her without pity. His eyes were cold at the thought of them. How he wished he could have another go at Phantom Lord. He wasn’t satisfied with the win they got.

Mira placed a hand on his shoulder. “Gray, we need to head back.”

He shrugged her hand off and continued watching Talise sleep. Mira sighed and looked back at Bisca. They were at Magnolia’s hospital; the same one Team Shadow Gear was admitted to.

After everything had been settled with Phantom Lord, Gray desperately searched for Talise. But when he couldn’t find her with the guild he started freaking out. Mira told him she left her with Reedus and Lucy at their secret hideout. Gray was going to start his search there but spotted Reedus with the rest of the guild. When he asked where Talise was he told him he didn’t know. The last he saw her (before he KO’d) was she and Lucy dodging one of the Phantom mage’s attacks. When he woke up, Lucy and Talise weren’t with him. He assumed they left the area so he too left for the guild.

And just like Talise had predicted, Gray was furious with Reedus. Elfman and several other mages had to hold him back from attacking the older man. Mira managed to calm him down by hitting the boy over his head and reminding him that they needed to find Talise.

They would have searched for her right away but they were met with a visit by the Rune Knights of the Magic Council. They weren’t going to let anyone leave until they interrogated the guild. And it wasn’t just them–Magnolia’s citizens were under heavy questioning as well. Nobody was allowed to leave the city until they got all the answers they needed.

The knights were somewhat lenient. Gray convinced them to search for Talise; else he would abstain from their investigation. Needless to say, the master wasn’t having it, since he didn’t want to go to jail for his recklessness. But Mira had Gray’s back and joined his boycott in exchange for searching for their cook. After some debate, they agreed. They had some of their knights join their search–in case they had any idea of running off instead.

That’s why it took until midnight for them to find Talise and admitted her to the hospital.

Gray was devastated when they found her. She was battered, bruised, and couldn’t hold consciousness. He clenched his fist. If only Reedus had done his part in protecting Talise, then she wouldn’t be in the hospital right now. He let out a low growl. He knew Reedus wasn’t the one at fault. It was Phantom Lord. They were the ones who put their filthy hands on her. He would never forgive them.

Bisca patted Mirajane’s shoulder. The waitress was doing her best, but she needed to be firmer with the Ice Mage. It was her turn now.

She got behind Gray and said, “We need to head back… _now_.” He ignored her. “I know ya mad, but we gotta go. We made a deal with them Ruin Knigh’s, remember.” He still said nothing. “She’s safe an’ in good hands. You can visit her after you’re done with your interrogation.” Again Gray said nothing. It was starting to piss off Bisca. How Talise was in love with the moron, she’ll never know.

“Please Gray, she’s going to be fine,” added Mira. “The doctors are gonna do all they can to heal her–but we need to leave.”

Gray said nothing as he stood his ground.

Bisca let out a frustrating sigh. “Imma give ya five seconds more to see Tals, an’ then we go. Else,” she Re-Equip one of her guns in her hand and pointed it at Gray’s head, “imma blas’ a new hole for ya to hear with.”

“Bisca!!” Mira put a hand over the barrel of her gun. “Don’t threaten Gray like that!”

“I’m not threatenin’ him.” She said and moved Mira’s hand out of the way. “I’m givin’ him an’ option,” she said as her finger hovered over the trigger.

Gray tsked and turned around. Bisca was un-phased with Gray’s heavily glare. With a huff, he left the room. Bisca shook her head and lowered her gun. She needed to have a talk with Talise about him. 

* * *

       It was a week later before Talise regained full consciousness again. The girl groaned as the smell of rubbing alcohol hit her nose at full force. She opened her eyes and saw she was in the hospital. The first thing she did was check herself. There were a lot of bandages around her torso and arms. She grimaced. At least she didn’t have a cast on.

She took a look around and noticed she was the only person in the room. She rubbed her head. Who had found her? And how long has she been out? She hoped it wasn’t for a long time. There was only so much Mirajane can handle without her help around the guild.

Talise waited for two hours before someone came in to check on her.

The doctor smiled greatly when he saw her up. “It’s about time you woke up. Your friends were getting worried about you.” Talise felt guilty. She knew exactly who he was talking about.

After a quick checkup and a major reminder to not overdo her body, she was able to check out of the hospital.

Talise stepped out with a small bag. She was quite surprised, and thankful, that Mira had left a change of clothes for her several days ago. But reality set in when she stood alone outside the hospital. She barely remembered her friends finding her. The doctor had told her they got her here late at night, with one refusing to leave her side. Talise assumed they won the battle against Phantom Lord but was what the end result? Was everyone alright? And did the Magic Council get involved? Knowing them they should have gotten wind of their fight by now. Where they in any trouble?

With no answers to her question, she slowly set off to the guild.

It took a while to get to the main road but once she was on it she was stunned. The view she always saw was different. Her guild was gone. Instead, there was a large construction site with several walls being built. Talise took a few steps back in shock. What happened?

What happened to her guild!?

Tears started to form in her eyes. Memories of her childhood in the building came rushing to her–all that was gone. Talise slowly backed away until she couldn’t take the sight anymore. She turned around and started running. But, it didn’t take long for her to bump into someone.

The person grunted before saying, “Tali?”

It was Natsu with Happy flying near his head. Seeing the dragon slayer and his cat caused a huge wave of emotions to wash over Talise. She couldn’t handle it and started crying. Natsu freaked out. He stuttered about, asking what was wrong but that just made Talise cry even harder. Natsu rubbed the back of his neck. They were gaining the attention of everyone around them–wondering what he did to make Talise cry.

“Maybe we should take her home,” suggested Happy.

Natsu took his idea. He picked up the bag Talise dropped, took her wrist, and lead her home. They headed to the outskirts of the city, went through the trail they were familiar with until they ended at Maple Lodge. Once they were in they settled the cook in her living room.

Talise was calming down, which was good, but Natsu didn’t know what to do next. Happy suggested he comfort the girl. It was a good idea, but he didn’t know how to go about it. The dragon slayer glanced at Talise before he sat next to her. He held up one of his hands and took a minute to debate to himself if he should pat her back or her arm. Happy pointed to her head, to which Natsu gave him a crazy look. Only Gray would do that! He wasn’t the stupid Ice Mage! He didn’t want to make things awkward with the cook like it wasn’t already awkward for him to begin with. Natsu ended up patting her back timidly.

There was a pause before Talise whispered, “Th–Thank you… Natsu.” then started wiping her tear-stained face.

“Why were you crying Tali?” asked Happy.

Talise stood still before she grew sad again. Natsu gave Happy a look. She _just_ started calming down. He didn’t want another round of tears from her.

She rubbed her eyes; trying hard not to cry again. After getting her tears in check, she looked at the two and whispered, “Wh–Wha…What happened… to our guild.”

Natsu and Happy looked at her, heartbroken. “You… haven’t heard?” said Natsu. Talise shook her head. The boy rubbed the back of his neck with a sad look. “We’ve got a lot to tell you then.”

* * *

       Gray grunted with tiredness. Rebuilding the guild from the ground up was harder than he’d thought. Then again they were constructing a whole new building, unlike in the past where it was just parts of the guild. He was in a bitter mood as he left the construction site. Natsu had skipped out on his share of the workload and like always it was he who had to pay for the pink idiot’s laziness. As a result, he had to stay behind more before he could take his break and go visit Talise in the hospital.

He was very concerned that she hasn’t woken up yet. Even though the doctor had assured him it would be any day now, but the wait was killing him.

Once he was at the hospital he went to the same room he’s been going to for the past week. He walked to the last bed with the curtains pulled over. When he pushed the cloth away he went pale. Talise wasn’t there. Her bed was empty. Gray panicked. What happened? Where was she? Did something bad happen? Was she kidnapped? Was she dead!?

Gray shook his head. No. He couldn’t think like that. But he needed answers.

He left the empty room and headed straight for the front desk. His feet skidded going through the corridors as he made his way back to the entrance. He nearly gave the woman working at the front a heart attack as he slammed his hands on the desk.

“What-happened-to-the-patient-in-room fifty-five!!” he said in one breath.

It took the woman a moment before she said, “Huh?”

Gray growled, “Room fifty-five!! The girl–Tail–Talise!! What happened to her!?! She’s not in there!!”

The woman pulled herself together before checking the charts she had around her. Gray fidgeted as she tried to figure out what happened to Talise. “Miss. Aguarian, Talise…?” Gray leaned forward and yelled, “YES!! HER!!!” –frightening the desk lady. “M–My papers say she was discharged… this morning.”

Gray went silent. He took a few steps back, which the lady was grateful for, and took a moment to think. Talise would’ve come to him if she was let go. But he hasn’t seen her around the guild’s construction site. Unless no one told him she was there. He dismissed the thought. No, that wouldn’t happen. Everyone would’ve made a big commotion if they saw her awake.

He thought about it some more. There were only two places she would go to if she wasn’t in the guild.

Gray thanked the lady before he left the hospital.

It didn’t take him long to get to the outskirts of Magnolia. At top speed, he reached Maple Lodge and threw the door opened. He was beyond relieved to see Talise sitting in her living room. What surprised him, though, were the pink idiot and his cat sitting next to her. A bunch of feeling rushed over him but one managed to manifest on his face.

Talise looked scared. What got Gray angry so suddenly?

Without thinking, Gray advance on the two and hit Natsu on the head. “YOU MORON!!!” he cried.

Natsu groaned. He wasn’t expecting such a hard punch from the Ice Mage.

Talise jumped from her seat and tried to fend off her crush. “Gray!! Calm down!!”

“Yeah asshole!” said Natsu as he rubbed his head with a glare. “What’d I do to deserve that!?” Gray gave him his own glare and tired punching him again but Talise got in his way. She had her arms spread out, acting as a shield for Natsu.

“What’s Rule Three Gray,” stated Talise. He stopped then tsked. “Answer it,” Gray said nothing as he backed off. He then looked down and mumbled under his breath. “Gray,” Talise said with a stern look.

“No fighting in the lodge,” he growled.

Talise gave him a nod. From the corner of her eye, she saw Natsu and Happy snickering and she swatted both their heads. “That goes for you too.” The two pouted as they nursed their injuries. “Now, why are you so mad at Natsu for?”

Gray went pink and turned his head away. He was embarrassed that his rage got the better of him. He himself was surprised that he hit the moron without thinking. The three waited before Gray muttered, “The idiot gave me more work than I needed.”

“THE HELL!” cried Natsu. “THAT’S WHY YOU PUNCHED ME!”

Talise gave Gray a strange look. It wasn’t odd for him to hit Natsu for such a reason. He’s been doing that since they first met. What was strange was Gray’s enraged face. She’s never seen him so mad before. The thought went away when she saw the two idiots start throwing punches at each other.

“HEY!!” cried Talise. “WHAT DID I JUST SAY!!?”

It took a while for her and Happy to get Gray and Natsu to stop fighting. When they did Happy suggested Talise should visit the construction site. She grimaced. She barely had time to soak in the fact that Master Jose destroyed their guild. It felt too soon for her. But it didn’t matter; she was outnumbered three to one.

So, with some moping, she and the boys headed back to the guild.


	8. Rebuilding

      The place was booming with noise as Talise, Gray, Natsu, and Happy came by the guild. It looked like every member of Fairy Tail was doing their part to help with the reconstruction. It didn’t take long before someone spotted the chef and started a chain reaction. Talise and the boys were surrounded by a horde of people; all who were happy to see Talise was alright. The cook was overwhelmed with so much love that her eyes started watering.

Gray was annoyed by the large crowd, dragged Talise away–screaming at the group that she needed space and that they get back to work. The crowd booed the Ice Mage but they got the message and slowly went back to their stations. After someone gave the cook one last well-wish, the boys were then able to give her a tour of the site. It wasn’t much since the place was still under construction, but they ended the tour where the makeshift bar was at.

“TALI!!” a voice cried out loud.

Talise hissed in pain as Mirajane grabbed her and put her in a tight hug. “I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE ALRIGHT!!” she cried.

“Mira!! Don’t!! Tails’ still recovering!!” cried Gray and tried unhooking the older woman away.

Mirajane loosened her hold and took Talise away from the boys–telling her how nervous she was during her time in the hospital. Talise felt guilty. She didn’t mean to make her or anyone else worried. At the bar, Talise was surprised that it was bigger than the old one. They even set up tables and chairs in front of the bar, just like in the old guild.

She took another look around and a thought popped up. “Um… Mira… what am I gonna be doing?”

Mirajane beamed at her. “We weren’t able to set up a kitchen for you, so I thought you could help me out again… just like old times.” she cheered, “Until the guild is complete of course.”

Talise thought it about it. It’s been a long time since she had to wait on others full time, though it made sense. “Speaking of… wasn’t the guild smaller than what’s being built?” asked Talise as she glanced at the mages working on putting up a rather large wall. “Why is it bigger?”

“We decided we should expand the guild now that we have the opportunity,” Mira said with a bigger smile. “There are even plans of putting in a bigger kitchen for you Tali.”

The words bigger kitchen got Talise interested. It would be nice to have more room to work with. Not that she complained about the old kitchen’s size. She was fine with it since she was the only one in the kitchen. But back when it was full of other chefs there wasn’t any room to move. With a bigger kitchen, she maybe would be able to hire some extra helping hands.

“The place was fine the way it was before,” grumbled Natsu.

“Now that I think about it–what will the guild look like when it’s done?” asked Gray.

Talise shook her head. He was working on the guild without knowing the end results. But it didn’t matter as Mirajane brought out the blueprints for the new guild. The three took a peek at the large white piece of paper and cringed. It was a rather intricate and very confusing drawing of a building. It was several floors tall with a long staircase and stick people placed in each room. There were flowers, stars, and bunnies with a chibi Mirajane looking very happy–all surrounding the building and drawn in crayon.

The three looked at each other. It wasn’t quite what they were expecting.

“It looks… err–cute?” said Talise hesitantly.

“I… don’t get,” said Natsu truthfully.

Gray raised a brow and took a closer look. “This is ridiculous. Who was the idiot who drew this?”

Mira’s beautiful smiling face bursting into tears and started crying on Talise. The cook gave Gray a look. He didn’t need it though. He was very sorry that he offended the older woman. Talise sighed and tried soothing the waitress. Natsu and Happy shook their heads; disappointed that Gray was cruel to make Mirajane cry. 

* * *

      The next few days Talise took it easy being a waitress for the bar. For some reason, Mira was more overjoyed with the fact that she was working alongside her again. Talise thought it was silly since her job as a chef didn’t move her far away. She worked right behind the bar, but Mira disagreed with the fact that she didn’t get to spend a lot of time with her. She let the matter be. As long as Mira was happy, she didn’t mind the waitress being so giddy and clingy with her.

Even though the kitchen wasn’t available, she still made it a priory to have her friends fed. So before she went to work she would bring snacks, sandwiches, and other simple finger food she could make. It made her happy that all the food she brought would be gone before the day was over. But there was only one problem; she was limited to how much food she could bring.

At one point all the food she brought was gone before noon hit, thanks to a very hungry Natsu and Happy. Mira then thought it would be a good idea if they had a few coolers for her to store food behind the counter. It would be easier on Talise and not worry about running out of food. It wouldn’t be a lot but just enough to get the mages through the day.

But as the days passed, Talise felt something odd around her.

It was like an evil presence. She didn’t know what it was as she would feel it for a few seconds then it would be gone in an instant. And it was always when she was around Gray. It was particularly strong when she had any physical contact with him. It puzzled her. She tried smelling what it could be but she couldn’t get a good whiff; the presence was very quick at leaving. The surround smells of sweat, beer, concrete, wood, and paint also made it hard for her to pick up whatever it was.

The only person she told was Mirajane, who laughed and thought she was being silly. But she wasn’t. She for sure felt something. Mira suggested she maybe had a bad spirit around her. Talise got scared. She didn’t like the idea of an evil ghost haunting her; she was better off being silly.

But she would still feel an evil glare every so often. Like someone was trying to kill her with their gaze.

One late morning Talise was busy setting up a small request board right next to the bar. She noticed a lot of people were standing around her and it was making her a bit nervous. She knew they were excited but so many eyes were making her a tad self-conscious. When she finished she gave a thumbs up to Mirajane and went behind the counter with her.

“Attention everyone!” cried Mira. “The request-board is now reopened!!” she cheered. “Even though it’s a temporary board, please take up as many requests as you can!”

And in an instant, everyone who was staring at Talise crowded in front of the board.

“Geez, what’s with them,” asked Lucy, who was sitting at the bar. “Usually they slack off and refuse to do any requests.”

Talise laughed. “It may seem like that. But when you take the request board away, even for a bit, everyone becomes anxious and wants to do some jobs.” She shook her head. “It’s like that one saying: you don’t know what you have ‘till it’s gone.”

Lucy sort of understood. “By the way… have any of you seen Loki?”

Mira had a sly grin. “Ahh, so you finally fell for him.”

She blushed. “That’s not it!!” Lucy cried. Talise rolled her eyes as Mira’s grin grew wide. She had to nudge the waitress to stop her from teasing the poor girl. Lucy pouted and showed them her Celestial Keys. “I heard he was the one who found my keys, so I want to thank him properly.”

Mira still had her grin on but nodded and told her they would pass on the message if they saw him.

“But… were your spirits angry for dropping their keys?” asked Talise. She heard rumors of some Celestial Spirits being merciless to their owner. All because they misplaced their key. She couldn’t imagine what they would do if their key was dropped.

Lucy froze and averted her eyes away from the two. “I–It’s nothing for them to–to get mad about…” The two raised a brow as her face cringed with fear and pain. They looked at each other and knew she had dealt some sort of punishment from her spirits. Whatever the punishment was, it had to be painful as Lucy curled up in her seat as she thought about it.

“Lucy looks constipated,” said Happy, who came over with Natsu and Gray.

“Eh–she looks more like a seasick bug.” commented Natsu.

The blonde glared back at the two. She wished something bad happened to either one of them right now. Lucy got her wish when a large barrel was thrown at Natsu, knocking him down.

“SAY THAT AGAIN!!” cried Erza.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Erza glaring at Laxus, who was seated on one of the tables.

“Fine,” said Laxus. “Weak shits deserve no place in this guild.” He turned his attention to Jet and Droy and frowned. “You two are pathetic–getting humiliated by Phantom in such a way.” Laxus then set his eyes on the bar. “Then there’s the main cause of it all, the little Miss. Celestial Spirit.”

“That matter is closed Laxus!” defended Mira. “No one cares whose fault it was. You have no right to say such things when you weren’t even around to help!”

“So what!!” he cried. “That had nothing to do with me!! Although–if I was around, you dumbasses wouldn’t be in such a pathetic state.”

That did it for Natsu. The boy got up from the floor and rushed towards Laxus. He tried punching him in the face but he was slow. Laxus was able to dodge his attack by turning into lighting and reappearing behind Natsu. He smirked as Natsu wobble around, trying to regain his balance.

Natsu turned around and yelled, “Fight me you heartless bastard!!!”

Laxus laughed full heartedly. “What kind of fight do you want when you can’t even touch me?” He crossed his arms and took a quick glance at everyone staring at them. “The first thing I’ll do, when I inherit this guild, is getting rid of all the weak pieces of shit! As well as _anyone_ who dares to rebel against me!” Everyone, besides Talise, glared at the older man. But he didn’t care as he said, “I’ll create the ultimate guild! One so strong, no one would dare to look down upon.”

He then started walking away, laughing. Natsu shook with rage and ran to him again but he was too slow. Laxus turned into lighting again and disappeared; his laughter echoed behind him.

Talise sighed then began wiping the bar’s counter-to get her mind off the nasty mummers the other members were saying about Laxus. Her teal orbs stared down at the oak wood. He was getting worse every time she saw Laxus. What was going on with him? What happened to make him become so cruel?

“THAT BASTARD!!” yelled Natsu.

“Drop it. You’ll be a mess if you fought against him,” warned Erza. “Onto other things–what’s your answer? Do you want to do a job together?”

The cook froze. She stared at Natsu and Erza and blinked. Did she hear her right?

“With Happy, Gray, and Lucy as well,” she added. “We worked so well together last time; I thought we should form a team.”

Talise looked at Mirajane who had the same face as she did: utter shock. She was so surprised she didn’t mind Gray was in his boxers again. Everyone around stopped what they were doing and listen in to what their answers was. Gray and Natsu looked at each other with a scowl, but with one glare from Erza they stopped and agreed to her request. Lucy was a bit hesitant but she, nonetheless, agreed to the idea.

Mira smiled and clapped her hands. “It looks like Fairy Tail’s strongest team is now official!”

The cook kept blinking. She couldn’t believe it. Gray and Natsu were official teammates. Teammates! She’d never thought that would happen in a million years! Talise stared at Gray, who was talking adamantly with Erza and Lucy. She felt happy but at the same time, she didn’t. Gray turned around and gave her a smile. She blushed, averted her gaze and gave him a nod. Her uncertainty left her mind.

Mirajane watched Gray leave with his new team and Talise cleaned the counter with a glow about her. She crossed her arms with a small grin. Their cook was truly in love with the Ice Mage. 

* * *

      The next day Talise thought she should give Gray and the rest of his new team a special treat for their new founding. Mirajane was quite surprised to see her come in with her arm full of boxes. She asked what was inside but Talise didn’t say. It was a secret.

It was until late in the morning when she met up with Gray and the rest of Team Natsu. But, out of everyone, Lucy was the one who looked super depressed. When Talise asked what was wrong, she told her they destroyed the town they were doing their first job in. Their payment went to fixing the damages Erza, Gray, and Natsu made; meaning they didn’t get paid. Talise smiled weakly. It didn’t surprise her. The three were already trouble; putting all three of them tripled that.

Talise bent over behind the counter and brought out her surprise. “Maybe this will cheer you up, Lucy.”

She perked up when she received a pink box with white trimmings and a bow.

Natsu pouted at the gift Talise gave Lucy. “Why does Lucy get a present!!?” he whined. “I wanna present too!!”

Gray scowled and hit Natsu upside his head. “Don’t be rude!! Dumbass!!”

The dragon slayer growled with anger.

Talise sensed a fight coming so she put her hands out to stop them. “D–Don’t worry! I got one for each of you!” she said and bent over to get all the boxes.

Each mage was given a colored box with fancy trimmings. Natsu’s and Erza’s were bigger but Erza was the only one given two boxes. Talise smiled nervously and told them to open them at the same time. On the count of three, they took off the ribbons and lifted the top of their box. Gray, Natsu, Happy, and Erza were beyond elated to see their gift. Each of them had received a cake with various sweet bread and cookies in the shape of the guild mark and their own weaponry.

“YES!! You made us floating cookies!!” cried Natsu. He and Happy took no time eating a cookie in the shape of a flame and fish.

Lucy was surprised to see the idiot and his cat floating above the barstool. Their faces were in pure bliss. She looked back at Talise, then to her box, and back. “Wha–What’s all this for?” she asked.

Talise rubbed her arm bashfully and said, “To celebrate your new team. I hope you’ll enjoy it. I didn’t know what kind of sweets you prefer so I gave you some of what the others like.”

The Celestial Mage looked incredibly happy and thanked her. She then took a cookie in the shape of Plue’s key and ate it. And like Natsu, she floated up; feeling all warm and soft. She was in heaven.

Gray, who was chewing on a small piece of donut, smiled at his cake. It was round with ice blue fondant and white frosting in the shape of icicles hanging off the edge. The words _Congratulations Fairy Tail’s Strongest Team_ were written in blue icing. But was made him smile was the small white chocolate rose with blue tips at the bottom of his cake. He looked at Talise, who was telling Lucy what sweets were in her box, then at the rose, and back.

He was about to call her name out when Erza leaned over the counter. She grabbed the back of Talise’s head and pushed her into her metallic bosom.

“Thank you so much, Talise,” Erza said. “You truly are a great friend,” she said and pushed the cook deeper into her armor.

Gray, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy cringed as Talise shook in great pain.

After Gray got Erza to released Talise from her hold, Team Natsu took their boxes and went to the request board for a new job. All but Gray. He still stayed seated munching on his sweet bread. Talise blushed when she noticed he was shirtless, again. She turned her head and made herself look busy by wiping the counter.

“Tails.” still pink-faced, she automatically gave him her attention. “Thanks.”

Her heart fluttered as she saw him give her a smile. This smile was different than his usual ones. It was more loving. Talise shyly nodded and focused her eyes on the counter. She tried her best not to faint from the amount of blood rushing to her face. Gray smiled at her once more before he left with the others.

Talise took a peek at Gray when she knew he was far from her. She watched as he laughed at Happy taking Natsu’s box out of reach. She smiled but then shivered as a cold feeling went right through her. It was that evil presence again. As always Talise looked around but there was no one that looked like they wanted to hurt her a million times over. She made a face. She hoped it wasn’t a ghost.

The cook shook her head. No. She didn’t want to think about that. It was too creepy. She’d rather it be a person than a ghost.

At least with a person, she can physically punch them. With a ghost, she can’t.


	9. New Guild, New Members

      Talise was depressed. Ever since Team Natsu was official, Gray has been spending a lot of time outside of Magnolia. The only time she had spent any time with him was when they were trying to find Loki, who wanted to leave the guild. It came so sudden and as a big shock to her. There was also no real answer for why. Regardless, everyone in the guild scrambled all over Magnolia to find him. Other than that, the only interaction she gets is a “Hello” or a wave from him before he leaves with Natsu and the rest.

On the bright side, she has not felt the evil presence anymore. She assumed it was all in her head, as Mirajane suggested, but that did not make her feel any better.

The cook stared at the building in front of her. It has been a month and construction on the guild was ending. Talise was happy about that, but not with her current situation.

The building was halfway complete when Mira and Talise had to move the makeshift bar. Talise thought they would move inside since the harder labor was finished, but that was not the case. Talise did not understand why everyone thought it was dangerous for her and Mira to be inside. It was just an empty building with many beams, wood, and concrete. She did not fight it since there was no room for her to try. Thus, they stationed her right in front of the new building in a smaller kiosk.

That was several weeks ago and she _still_ has not seen the inside of the new guild, but she was not the only one. Those who did not need to work on the inside could NOT go in, not until everything was complete. That was not what bothered her. No.

What did was Mira putting her in charge of the bar while she oversaw the interior design of the guild. Normally Talise would not bother complaining about such sudden decisions. In fact, she was fine with it–until five days ago.

She had missed a chance to spend more time with Gray, _outside_ of Magnolia.

For reasons, unknown to her, Gray and the rest of Team Natsu got tickets from Loki to go to Akane Resort. It was a very popular resort near the coast–well known for its giant amusement park and a five-star hotel. She would have loved to go, but she was on duty. Waiting and serving the guild as well as doing some of Mira’s other work–like verifying any jobs taken.

Because of that, she had to decline Gray with a heavy heart.

He saw she really wanted to go but could not back out of her responsibilities. So, he promised her he would make it up to her when he came back.

Talise pouted and threw herself over the counter. She groaned as she thought back to her decision. She _really_ wanted to go–and was willing to ditch work, but this was one time where Mirajane could not cover for her. Talise cried. It was not fair.

What got her even more depressed was the fact that it has been slow for the past five days. With the completion of the heavy work, most focused on taking more jobs instead of hanging around. For the most part, she would be the only one outside doing nothing. It was killing her. She could have been on the beach with Gray playing in the water, making a sandcastle, or having a nice picnic.

“Oi! Are you gonna serve me or what?” Talise moved her head, her face still held a sad expression. Cana, who sat in front of her, was taken by her disposition. “Damn,” she muttered, “I haven’t seen you this blue since Gray took that job up north that lasted three months.”

Talise did not say anything as she slowly moved behind the counter and brought out a barrel of beer for the mage. Cana watched as Talise took her payment. She placed it away, then returned to her position over the counter. Cana pressed her lips together. She did not think missing a trip with Gray would affect her _this_ bad. The mage was expecting some pouting and whining, but not utter despair.

After Cana patted the cook’s head and gave her some comforting words, she took her barrel and left. That left Talise to re-play the waiting game. The noise of hammering and drilling were the only noise made, as she did nothing.

Around the evening, Mirajane came out with Reedus and several other mages, who were dead tired. She thanked them for their hard work as they left her to lock up. Her happiness dwindled when she spotted the cook beyond depressed. Mira shook her head and headed to the bar. She sat down on a barstool and started stroking the top of Talise’s head. The cook quickly looked up, her face full of happiness, but she was disheartened when she saw it was Mirajane.

The waitress giggled. “Thought I was Gray?” she teased.

Talise blushed and turned her head away. “What do you want,” she mumbled.

Mira smiled, her happiness came back. “You can close up now. We’re officially finished.”

She turned back and looked surprised. “You mean–it’s done!!” Mira nodded, “Finally! I thought you would never let us in.” muttered Talise.

Mira ignored the last part and said, “I’m also giving you the day off tomorrow, but I want you to come here around noon.” Talise could not help but raise a brow. “I don’t mind if you come in later but not before twelve, `k~”

Talise gave her a distrustful look. Mirajane had a big grin that made her look super suspicious. She was up to something. She just knew it.

* * *

       The next morning, Talise waited in her living room anxiously. The cook could not sleep last night because of Mira. She appreciated the day off but that only meant Mira was planning something. Especially since she told her not to come in until a certain time. Talise groaned. It could be either good or bad, but dealing with past experiences it usually turns out to be bad. It was most likely something embarrassing.

She threw herself over her couch and hid her face in the cushion. Yeah, it was going to be something embarrassing, she just knew it.

Noon passed and Talise did not know if she even wanted to go to the guild. In the end, after waiting another hour, Talise decided to suck it up and head over to the guild. She decided she would take her sweet time; after all, she was in no rush to see what Mira had planned.

Once she saw the guild insight, her stomach started to turn. Each step she took made her nauseous. She felt like throwing up as soon as she got to the metal gate. Talise was surprised to see a lot of confetti on the ground. The area was very different from yesterday. There was now a bunch of new tables with colored umbrellas aligned in several rows. Gone was the makeshift bar. Across from where it used to be was now a gift shop. There was also a familiar face carrying what looked like to be a giant red ribbon.

“Max!!” cried Talise as she ran to him.

The man with short sandy hair smiled when he saw her. “Talise! It’s been a while!” he said and gave her a hug.

“I didn’t know you were coming!” she said as she released him.

Max chuckled. “Well, I heard the guild was getting remodeled. So I decided to stop by, but Mirajane and the master suggested I do more than visit.”

Talise grew a large smile. “You’re staying! Really!!” he nodded which made her glee and gave the man another hug.

“Tali!!” the two separated as Mirajane came to them. She gave the two a fake look of disappointment. “I can’t believe you! Cheating on Gray like this.” she teased.

Talise frowned with a blush while Max laughed. “You know very well, her heart is true to Gray,” said Max. “Besides, even if it wasn’t,” he grabbed Talise’s shoulder and smiled, “I know she would end up friend-zoning me. So I don’t even bother.”

The cook made a face. She did not like that; they spoke so casually of her love life _in_ her face.

“You’re late,” stated Mira.

Talise shrugged Max’s arm off and grumbled, “You said I could come in late.”

Mirajane shook her head. “I didn’t mean almost two hours late!” she said as she took Talise’s hand and led her to the front entrance. “I still need to give you the tour.” Mira opened one of the wooden doors all the way and Talise’s eyes went big.

The new design of the guild was large and beautiful. She was impressed with the elegance, yet simplistic design of the hall. Their old guild paled in comparison to the new one. Mira grinned as she saw Talise in awe. She took the cook’s hand again and let her around.

There was now a large stage, brand new storage rooms, a mini library, and resting rooms. The basement was now a rec center filled with various games free to use. There was even a swimming pool, which Talise thought was a little silly. She was the odd man out since many members loved the idea, but the biggest change to the inside was the second floor. It was opened to all members of the guild; it was not just for S-Class mages anymore.

Mirajane finished off the tour at Talise’s new kitchen. It was doorless which made Talise give Mira a look. She explained when there are large orders they wouldn’t be struggling with the door. Another was to lure the members to order lots of food by smelling her delicious cooking. Talise didn’t think it was necessary but there was nothing she could do so she let it go. The waitress then left Talise to explore her new kitchen.

When Talise stepped in, she was in awe again. As Mira had told her, it was much bigger than her old kitchen. Two long island counters were right in the middle with several stools. Right above hung a rack with different pots and pans for easy access. Surrounding it were long marble countertops, a large refrigerator, and freezer. There were two brand new stovetops and a larger sink with two faucets on each side. Next to the sink were four tall cabinets filled with non-perishable, jars, plates, bowls, dishware, etc...

But what made Talise gawk were the two tall ovens. She now could bake more than one thing at the same time. It wasn’t something to fawn over, but the idea blew her mind. She couldn’t help but hug the metal contraption. It was also one of the higher tech ones. Talise was blown over the fact Mira and the master spent so much money on all the fancy new equipment. She promised to protect this kitchen with her life from Natsu and his stupid brawls.

“Tali! Can you come out!?” Talise stopped loving her ovens for the moment and followed Mira’s voice. She found her talking with an unfamiliar girl. Mira smiled when she saw her and said, “I’d like you to meet one of our new recruits, Juvia.”

Talise stared at the girl with blue hair dressed in a thick fur coat and matching hat. She looked to be friendly, but her face changed into a menacing glare as soon as she saw her. Talise was confused. Why was she angry? And why at her?

“Juvia, this is Talise.” introduced Mira, “She’s the head chef in the kitchen and my second in command.”

Juvia’s face turned sweet when Mira looked back at her and gave Talise a fake smile. “Juvia… is… pleased… to meet Talise…s-san.” she said through her clenched smile.

Talise gave Juvia a weird look, but before she could say anything Mira took Juvia away to meet with other mages. Juvia turned back and gave her another glare before she turned sweet to the people in front of her. Talise blinked. Was she seeing things? She rubbed her eyes and watched Juvia as she spoke to Cana. There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. There was no glare and she gave Cana a sincere smile. She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Maybe it was the lack of food and water that was making her see things. She didn’t eat much since she was worried about what Mira was planning.

Thinking of what she could make to eat, Talise didn’t notice someone walked right behind her. When she turned around and took a step, her face hit something hard. She bent over in pain as she had hit the bottom half of someone’s face. She was about to mutter an apology when she heard a low growl. Talise slowly looked up and her eyes widen as she stared at a man with many piercings. His red eyes narrowed, as she looked terrified.

She quickly backed off but she lost her balance and fell down. Talise went into a state of shock as she stared at Gajeel.

“Tali!!” cried Mirajane. She left Juvia and rushed to Talise’s side. “Tali–Tali look at me.” With the help of Mira’s hand, Talise turned her attention to the waitress; regardless, she was terrified and making incoherent syllables. “Tali,” Mira started off slowly, “he’s not here to hurt anyone. He’s our other new member.”

Talise’s eyes grew bigger and stared back at Gajeel. She opened her mouth but no words came out. She didn’t understand. How? This didn’t make any sense!

Mirajane looked apologetic to Gajeel and said, “I’m sorry. I’ll take her back inside.”

Gajeel said nothing as the waitress took the cook back to the kitchen.

Inside she sat Talise on a stool and gave her some space. Mira frown. She had a feeling Talise would react as such. It wasn’t great but at least it was a bit better than how Team Shadow Gear reacted. Levi fainted while Jet and Droy thought it was a cruel joke. When it wasn’t, the two threatened Gajeel and rejected his membership. Mira had to get the master before things got physical. She let out a deep sighed. And that was just from Jet and Droy. She couldn’t think how Natsu, Gray, and Erza would react when they find out.

“M–Mira…” the waitress gave her attention to Talise, who looked a bit better, “Why is _he_ here?” she hissed.

Mirajane sighed again before saying, “I told you. He’s our new member.” Talise gave her a look of disbelief. “I know. You should have been here at noon. You would’ve seen everyone’s reaction when the master introduced Gajeel and Juvia.”

“That’s what you were planning!?”

“No,” Mira said shaking her head. “I was planning for you to meet Juvia. She was confirmed to me yesterday. I didn’t know about Gajeel until this morning from the master.”

Talise made a face. “But… how? He–you know–destroyed our guild! Not to mention he harmed a lot of our friends.” she paused. Mira looked at her as a frightening thought occurred to her. “Oh no! When Gray and the others find out–they are gonna go ballistic!”

“We can only hope that they will understand–”

“You know they won’t! You saw how Natsu and Gray were after the whole incident with Phantom Lord!” Talise looked out the doorway and took a peek outside. She spotted Gajeel sitting alone at a table and bit her lip. “It’s gonna be bad the moment they see him.”

Mira placed a hand on Talise’s shoulder making her turn her attention to her. “I know they won’t have the best reaction… but the master won’t allow any reckless behavior from anyone. Gajeel’s a member of Fairy Tail now. He’s… our comrade–whether we like it or not.”

Talise froze. She was right.

It doesn’t matter what someone’s past was. Once you were a member of Fairy Tail, you were a friend.

But this didn’t feel right.

She didn’t care that he harmed her–he wasn’t the first person nor would he be the last. It was the fact that he tried to destroy their guild and then came to them after his guild disbanded. For what? The cook could not shake the feeling that he had other motives for joining them.

Would he tear the guild from the inside? Would he be that vindictive to do so? He wouldn’t join just because he felt sorry.

Her eyes peek back at the lonely mage, who was glaring hard at the table. She didn’t know what was going through the master’s mind letting him join their guild. Did he see some type of good in him that she wasn’t? Was he even good?

Talise frowned. She did not know, but this was Master Makarov’s decision–and his judge of character was usually never wrong…usually.

* * *

      The next few hours, Talise hid in her brand new kitchen for several reasons. One, she was still in awe and giddy with her new equipment and could not wait to be using it. Two, Gajeel was still out there. Every so often, she would see him glaring through the doorless doorway. And she would quickly move away from view.

She didn’t know if he was angry that she hit his face with hers. Or if he was still pissed off from when she punched him various times in the face.

Either way, it wasn’t good for her.

And three, Mirajane told her to stay in the guild until she gave her, her “present”. Talise cringed. She’d thought meeting Juvia was all she planned. There was something else in store for her. Talise hoped Mira would get it over with so she could leave.

“Tali!” cried Mira, popping her head in the kitchen with a smile. “Can I ask you a favor?” Before Talise could say anything, Mira continued, “I need to meet with the master and also get your gift out.” she gave her a wink, which the cook didn’t like. “So can you give our new members their guild mark.”

Talise groaned. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Before she could say no, Mira gave her the magical stamp, said, “Thank you!”, and left. She stared after the waitress, then the stamp in her hand and made a face. She hated when Mira acted like this.

After ten minutes of debating whether to lie to Mira about doing the errand, she went out. She decided to start off with Juvia, seeing as she was the less difficult of the two. But, that was a mistake. Talise searched high and low for the new mage. But she could not find her. Every time she asked someone about her, she would always be told she _just_ missed her. She was getting pissed. Juvia was avoiding her on purpose.

After another seven minutes of chasing her, she got word that Juvia left. Talise wasn’t happy. She’d spent all that time for nothing.

She would’ve been angrier but she then remembered there was Gajeel left. It made her cringed. She hoped he would pull what Juvia did so she didn’t have to see him. That or not kill her. She definitely did NOT want to die.

Talise; unfortunately, found him on the second floor on the west side. She felt a bit bad that he was the only one there. Everyone was purposely avoiding being anywhere near him. Talise froze with fear when he spotted her. They stared at each other for a moment before he looked away. Talise didn’t move from her spot.

This is why she didn’t want to be near him. In all honesty, she was scared of him. He was bigger than she was and had a mean scowl that was stuck to his face. His whole presence yelled danger. Sure, she had fought him, but he used to be the enemy and it was easy to dislike the enemy. But there wasn’t as much anger in her to lash out at him. So the second emotion after anger was fear.

After a good while, Talise gained the courage to move her legs. She slowly made her way to his table, her hands fiddling with the stamp. Once she was near him, he looked at her glaring. Talise shook. She hoped he wouldn’t kill her for annoying him. Her mouth shook as she tried to open it.

Instead of words flowing out, she let out a high-pitched _EHP_.

Gajeel gave her a weird look as Talise went red and bowed her head. She didn’t mean to make a weird noise. He grunted and moved his attention away from her. Talise took a moment to put her nerves back together. She’d never had so much difficulty talking to someone in such a long time.

She took in a deep breath and tried again. “Wh–Where?” she stuttered.

The man looked back at her and finally noticed the stamp in her hand. He then took a looked at her face, which was sweating bullets. Gajeel made a face that made Talise tenser. He didn’t care that everyone was avoiding him like the plague. He understood. They hated him with reason and he couldn’t blame them. He actually preferred if people left him alone. It made thing less awkward for him.

Unlike now.

Gajeel remembered who she was. Thinking back to their battle, he had some guilt, that was one of the reasons why he rather not be spoken to. He knew the shit he did and in a way, he was sorry. But he didn’t know what to say without sounding like an idiot or an asshole.

He did give the girl some credit. Unlike all the others who threw glares and death threats at him, she wasn’t one of them. She was willing to come up to him, even if there was a job. She could’ve passed it onto the white-haired waitress, who was the only other one who didn’t detest him much. But here she was–trembling with fear–but here in front of him nonetheless.

Talise got startled when Gajeel moved.

He ended up sitting backward on his chair and nodded to his left shoulder. “Black,” he muttered.

She stood still for a moment before she jumped and fiddled around with the stamp. Gajeel watched as her clammy hands trembled towards him. She lightly grasped his arm and pressed the wooden device on his skin. With a _POP_ , glitter, and sparkles surrounding his brand new guild mark. Gajeel made a face; he didn’t think their stamp was so cutesy.

Talise tensed up when she saw his face. She started to sweat again. He didn’t like it. Did he want it lower? Did she mess up? Talise flinched when he looked back at her. She waited for him to blow up. But it never came.

Instead, she heard him say, “Thanks.”

She opened her eyes, surprised by his response. Talise nodded and slowly backed away as Gajeel moved back in his seat and faced the floor below them. She was about to bolt for the stairs when she heard him say, “Hey…”

The cook stopped and turned her attention back to Gajeel. He paused for a moment before he shook his head. “Forget it, you can leave,” he muttered.

Talise didn’t know what to say. Her heart then did something she never thought it would do.

It ached for him.

He looked so miserable with his attention to the mages on the first floor. She clutched the stamp in her hand, Mira’s words echoed in her head: _“Gajeel’s a member of Fairy Tail now. He’s… our comrade–whether we like it or not.”_

Guilt filled her for thinking he was a vindictive guy. A part of her thought that maybe she was judging him too harshly. After all, he’s not the first to attack someone from the guild; then later join. She could name at least seven of them, and one of them was good friends with her.

They all had second chances… why not him as well?

Without thinking she blurted out, “I–I’m sorry!” Gajeel turned around wide-eyed, “For punching you in the face–and for today too! I’m sorry!”

Gajeel was stunned as Talise gave him an awkward bow and ran off. His eyes followed her going downstairs and entering the kitchen again.

Talise let out the breath she was holding as soon as she entered her domain. Her whole body was shaking for some reason. Well, she did run off after apologizing. It was rude, but she didn’t know what she was doing. Hell, she didn’t even think she was going to say sorry! It might not have been the greatest idea, she wasn’t lying. In some way, she was sorry.

“There you are Tali!!” Talise turned around and saw Mirajane next to a bunch of boxes on the counter. The waitress was filled with concern seeing Talise look so shaken. “Are you ok?”

She nodded and tried to keep a grip on herself. “Wh–What’s with the boxes?” she said trying to change the subject.

Mira became quite happy as soon as she said that. “It’s your surprise!”

Talise became paled. She’d forgotten all about that. The cook took a moment before she walked away from the kitchen. Mira ran after her and after a few minutes of struggling, she managed to pull her back in.

“Don’t be like that, Tali. I promise you’ll like it!” Mira said as she stationed Talise in front of the boxes.

Talise gave her a look. If she had a jewel for every time she has said that she’d be rich. She looked at the boxes, they were all white and in different sizes. They looked to be harmless but it was what was inside that was scaring her. She slowly took off the string around a long rectangular one and lifted the top. Her face got paler as she moved the tissue paper away.

“Isn’t it cute!” cried the waitress as she pulled it out of the box.

It was a short low-cut dark blue strapless dress with the words _Fairy Tail_ etched on a banner curving down. Near the bottom was their guild mark in a lighter blue. Talise looked at Mira, then at the dress, and back. She didn’t know what to say. Her mind was blanking out. Why would she want a dress like this?

“Well?” asked Mira after a long silence. “What do you think of your new uniform?”

Talise looked back at her, her face was in horror. “What!”

She smiled. “Your uniform, which you need to wear every day you come in.”

“WHAT!!”

“I’m serious,” Mira said. “It’s one of the new rules for the guild’s kitchen and bar. It’s mandatory for all waitresses to wear the uniform when working.”

“But I’m the head chef!” she defended.

“Yes, but you’re also my second in command. And I’m going to need you a lot more now that I’m going to be performing regularly.” Talise pouted. She was starting to regret taking her offer for being second head-waitress. She only did it because Mira pleaded and blackmailed her.

“At least you’ll be wearing this with me,” she muttered.

“Oh, I’m not wearing that.” Talise’s face fell. “I have my own outfit that I’ll be performing in.”

Talise gapped at her. “WHAT!!!!!”

Mira gave her a smile. “Don’t worry. You’ll look great in it! And maybe this will get Gray to ask you to marry him once he sees how beautiful you look.”

The cook froze. The thought of Gray even seeing her in the short dress got her red. Not just him but also everyone was going to see her wearing it. She put her hands over her face. No! She didn’t think she would be able to handle the teasing. Talise peeked through her hand and saw Mirajane smiling with pride.

So _this_ is what she was planning.


	10. Give It a Chance

      Talise made a face as she fixed her hair into a bun. She stared at herself in the mirror wearing her mandatory uniform. She admitted it was kinda cute. The dress was paired with white thigh-high boots, gloves, and a blue ribbon-tie for her neck. She just didn't think it suited her. Now if it was on Mirajane, it would be a different story. Talise patted her sides and gave herself another look around for the umpteenth time. Her self-consciousness was the only thing keeping her home. She should have been at work an hour ago.

She sighed sadly. If only she could get out of this somehow. But nothing came to thought. She would like to show up without the dress, but knowing Mira she would have a spare at the guild just in case she "forgot" to wear it.

It was evil of Mira forcing her to wear such a thing. She was going to be cooking! She didn't need to be in a dress while doing it. She would mind it as much if she could change when she needed to wait tables. But nooooo, Mira wouldn't let her. Saying it was a waste of time when there are members to be taken care of. Talise would have argued some more about the issue but Mira ignored whatever she had to say and sent her home.

Talise huffed as she grabbed the longest coat she had in her closet. She made sure it was tightly closed so nothing would be seen, just until she got to her kitchen.

Once outside she wrapped her arms around herself, as an extra precaution, and hurried to the guild. Her boots tapped against the pavement loudly; slowly gaining stares from her suspicious appearance. Talise didn't care. She was too focused on getting to the guild as fast as she could.

At the front gate, she was a bit surprised to see several people longing out on the open café area. She gave a weak smile to Max, who was setting up the gift shop, before she entered the guild. Inside there were a handful of people present; Talise made sure to go around the main floor and bar. Sure it was a longer route to the kitchen but it was less likely that someone would stop her on her way.

"Tali!"

She groaned. So much for that plan.

Talise turned around and saw Mirajane, her hand held out to her. The cook made a face and stubbornly turned around. "Tali. Give me the coat." Talise hunched over and gripped her coat closer to her. She definitely did NOT want to take it off out in the open like this. They were gaining a lot of attention from the other members, which made her go slightly pink.

"Tali! Coat! Now!" Mira demanded.

The cook saw the look she was giving her. It was her you–better–do–as–I–say–or–else–look. She hasn't seen that look since Mirajane used it long ago on Natsu for teasing Lisanna on her birthday. Talise groaned very loudly. She then swiftly took off her coat and threw it in Mira's arm.

"WOAH! Looking good, Talise!" someone yelled out. It was then followed by a lot of whistling and catcalling that made her face turn bright red.

She turned to the crowd and screamed, "Sh-Shut up!"

Everyone laughed and continued teasing her as she stomped away into her kitchen.

One of the things Talise loved about her job now was that she could be holed up in the kitchen for a long period of time. So no one would be able to see her in her stupid uniform. However, every now and then she would hear some more catcalls and comments on how she looks. She wondered if part of the reason why there was no door for her kitchen was to endure such punishment. If so, Mira was eviler than she'd thought.

It was after two and the lunch rush was dwindling down. Talise was surprised that her hair was kept in a decent form for once. Usually, it would be a rat's nest by this point, especially since there were a lot of orders. She was busy on her final meal when all of a sudden she heard, "GAJEEL!" and "What's this bastard doing here!"

She cringed. Gray and the others were back. And they were right on cue, sounding beyond angry. Talise looked at the meat she was cooking, then at the doorway. She would have gone out but she couldn't. Besides she really didn't want to get involved. Not because of all the yelling and screaming going on but because of her outfit.

It took more than ten minutes for the yelling to stop. That was about the same time Talise was finished. She ranged her call bell twice and in came Mirajane running. She gave her a smile and remind her of the new schedule before taking the plates.

Talise groaned.

She didn't want to go out. It was bad enough this morning and she knew that it was gonna get worse as the days passed.

With a lot of regrets, she took off her apron and hair net, fixed up her hair a bit, put back her gloves and stepped outside. She took a deep breath before screaming, "The kitchen is now closed! Drinks will be half price for the next ten minutes!" There were cheers and excitement voiced by the members of the guild, but that wasn't enough to drown out Natsu's laughter.

"What are you wearing Tali!?" he cried.

Talise blushed and spotted Natsu, Gray, and the rest near the bar. She shyly went over to them with her head down grumbling.

"You look really cute," Lucy said optimistically.

The cook turned even redder. Before she had to endure any more of Natsu's laughter she was called on by several people for an order. She quietly excused herself before taking a tray and headed to the mages with their hand raised.

Gray stared after Talise as she ran off. He was mesmerized with her outfit. It was a lot shorter than any of the other dresses she owned. Not to mention it hugged her figure a lot more and made her guild mark more noticeable. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he didn't like that. She looked great. He wasn't going to deny that. What didn't settle well with him was that a lot of their male members were staring at her–more than usual.

Natsu's laughter did not help with his mood. With no remorse, he punched the fire idiot in the gut.

"What the hell was that for!" growled Natsu holding his stomach.

The ice mage said nothing as he made his way to an empty table.

Ten minutes later all the lights in the hall turned off. On stage, the curtains were drawn and a spotlight was lit on Mirajane in a beautiful yellow dress. She was sitting down with a guitar in her hands and a microphone floating near her face. The crowd then started to whistle and cheer for the head waitress.

Talise ignored what was going on as she hurried back and forth from the bar to the customers; being careful not to trip and spill anything since it was poorly lit. As soon as Mira started signing, the orders slowly diminished, which made her glad. She knew she would be very busy but she didn't think she'd have to be running around so much. It reminded her of the old days when she first started off as a waitress.

As she ran around she spotted Gajeel in the same spot as yesterday. And just like that day, he had the whole area to himself. She was hit with guilt and sympathy for the guy. She had judged him so harshly that she had the need to make it up to him.

An idea then popped in her head. She was hesitant about it. For all, she knew it would blow up in her face. But if it turned out okay it wouldn't be so bad. She filled up several mugs of beer and glasses of juice then made her way to her last order, which was Team Natsu.

Gray made room for her to sit, as she placed a grumpy Natsu his order in front of him, thinking she would take a little break with them. But he was wrong. Instead, she took her tray and headed to the bar. He watched as she went behind the counter, grabbed something and went upstairs to the second floor. He was stunned when he saw it was the Iron Dragon Slayer she was heading to.

"Everything's too different," grumbled Natsu. "None of this is like the old guild."

The ice mage narrowed his eyes as he watched Talise give him a little wave before sitting down in front of the brute that harmed her and handed over something with a smile. For once he agreed with the fire idiot.

Gajeel was slouched over the table with boredom as he watched Mirajane sing. She was remarkably good, but he wasn't in the mood to enjoy her music. Thanks to the stupid Fire Dragon Slayer and the rest of his team. Their reunion was an unavoidable one and in his head he wanted it to be short and fast. The less he talked with them, the less he had to deal with their anger and death threats. However, it was far from short and fast. He counted his lucky stars that the Master was nearby to do damage control. Otherwise, there would've been a guild fight right then and there. He knew he could hold his own against each of them but a three-to-one battle was one he wouldn't last. Above all else with the animosity they held, he would've been killed.

He let out a low growl as his eyes roamed around the main floor and landed on the other waitress going about serving drinks. He was quite surprised when he spotted her. Her outfit was a drastic change compared to what she wore yesterday. He assumed it was new since she fussed over the people teasing her heavily about it.

The dragon slayer returned back to his senses and slowly sat up with confusion when she suddenly appeared and took a seat right in front of him. He wasn't expecting that. Then again he didn't expect her to apologize to him yesterday. The girl was full of surprises.

"U–Uh… I–I'm… I'm not sure if… if you know. B–But I'm the head chef." Talise started. She nervously took the menu in her hand and held it out for Gajeel.

He didn't know what to say as she gave him a weak smile. He looked down at the laminated piece of paper and stared at it. After a minute or two, he took it from her. The girl looked relieved and a bit happy, which Gajeel didn't understand. She then spent the next few minutes explaining the menu and her food magic.

After she was done with the basics, she then said, "I know you're a dragon slayer… a–and I kind of pride myself on building Natsu's personal Dragon Slayer menu… I–I… I was hoping if you wouldn't mind me doing the same for you." Gajeel was silent which made Talise backtrack. "I–I mean-that is if you want to. Y–You don't need to! Y–You can order whatever you want!"

The chef got nervous when he didn't say anything back to her. Their silence was drowned by the cheers and applause of the other members. Talise fiddled with the pen and notepad she had in her lap. This felt like a bad idea as she watched Gajeel glare at her menu. Maybe she should've just stayed at the bar instead.

"What's your name," he muttered.

She blinked. Talise would've kicked herself for being an idiot. She started babbling about her work and didn't properly introduce herself first. "T–Talise… Talise Aguarian."

Gajeel looked back at her. She was being way too nice to him. He didn't know if it was her nature or she was put up to it by the Master of the guild. His red eyes were fixed on her Teal ones. The latter made the most sense, since no one in the guild, besides Juvia, was this friendly towards him.

Talise became self-conscious as he kept staring at her intently. He then said, "I eat any kind of metal. Nothing else." and slid the menu back to her. Talise jumped in her seat and quickly wrote down what he said on her notepad.

Soon the lights were back on and that was her cue to leave. She got up from her seat and slid back the menu to him. "Y–You keep it. It was meant for the guild members to keep."

He said nothing and stared at her as she went back downstairs.

As soon as Talise entered the kitchen, she let out a deep breath. Her hands were clammy and trembling. It was so nerve-racking talking to Gajeel. She didn't know if he was always mad with the glare he had on his face. Or maybe that's how his face naturally is. Just like Elfman or Laxus.

She looked at her notepad. She wished he would've said more than just "any kind of metal". It was going to be difficult creating a menu with just that. Talise sighed. But at least he responded. That meant he wasn't a total evil jerk.

He just needs time to settle down. Just like any other person in a new guild.

* * *

      The next several days, Talise was super busy. Between cooking, waitressing, and figuring out/creating Gajeel's dragon slayer menu, Talise had no time to herself or with Gray and her friends. At most, she would give them a "Hello" or a wave but then went back to work. This vastly concerned Mirajane. She knew when Talise starts taking her breaks in the kitchen; she was creating a personal menu or a new item for someone. But because of her passion for creating something delicious for others, Talise can overdo it and not take care of herself.

And it was starting to show.

During the week, Talise was forgetting orders, drinks, as well as moving slower.

Normally Gray would get her on the right track: by forcing her to eat and rest. But the ice mage hasn't stayed in the guild long enough to see the cook as he's been away on multiple job requests. The same was for Bisca, who was Gray's backup.

Mirajane sighed and stared at the kitchen doorway, shining and glittering. The lunch rush was over but Talise was still working, despite not having any orders. At this point, it was going to be her to pick up the slack.

She went in front of the kitchen and claimed that it was closed for the rest of the day. Several mages groaned and questioned her. Mira didn't explain why but gave the guild half-priced drinks for the next hour. That managed to get their minds off her sudden decision.

As Mirajane went around taking orders, loud  _BANGS_  were made. Everyone's attention went to the kitchen, wondering what was going on in there. It took three minutes for the unusual banging, and everyone's curiosity, to stop.

Most mages brushed it off, thinking nothing of it. If Talise wasn't running out screaming, they assumed she was ok.

When Mira went back to the bar with her orders, she saw the cook peek her head out. Mira raised a brow when she didn't say anything to her and gazed around the guild. Before Mirajane could say something Talise went back in and then came back out with two trays, each with two plates covered.

The waitress tilted her head as she watched the cook take a deep breath and walked to the far west end of the guild. She lightly gasped as she saw Talise stop in front of the Iron Dragon Slayer's table. She wasn't the only one. Other members of the guild stopped and gapped at the scene. They didn't think it was Gajeel that Talise was cooking for.

The dragon slayer was sitting in the most remote table he could find. His head was buried in his arms as he tried to ignore the whispers and glares aimed to him.

He was tired.

Not just from the jobs, he had but also from the treatment he was getting from his guildmates. To say that it didn't affect him was a lie. He was just as human as anyone else. He just didn't like showing his emotions on the regular. He didn't know how long he'll last like this.

Juvia saw his dilemma and gave him some advice:  _"Try making a friend, then everyone else will see Gajeel-kun is no longer the evil brute, who attacked and destroyed their guild."_

Gajeel grumbled. That was easier said than done. He wasn't her, who was automatically liked and welcomed by everyone.

He lightly sighed. Why bother fighting it? He never had any real friends, besides Juvia, back in Phantom Lord to begin with. Everyone either feared and/or resented him. It'll be the same with Fairy Tail, he just knew it. There's no point in changing the inevitable.

His nose then picked up the scent of a certain cook.

Gajeel slowly raised his head as two trays were placed in front of him. He stared at the covers then at Talise, who was jittery and nervous. His face defaulted to a glare, which frightened the cook even more.

It didn't take a genius to see what she was doing. He remembered their conversation the other day. He didn't think she would actually go through with it and in such a short amount of time. He was a bit touched. But then he remembered this wasn't done out of her own free will. Her actions were being controlled by the Master's, which made all this, and her, fake.

Talise gulped and started to sweat. She didn't think he would be pissed off by her presence. She would've run off back into the kitchen, where it was safe, but she was already this deep in. There was no point in running now. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves, as much as she could from the glare she was receiving. "I… I brought you–"

"Stop," he growled. The cook froze. "It'll be better if you treated me like the rest of the guild," he muttered and pushed the trays away from him. "Tell the Master I said you don't gotta be nice to me."

Talise blinked. What was he talking about? She hasn't spoken nor seen the Master in days. Where was he getting this from?

Gajeel retreated his head back into his arms and whispered, "I don't need friends."

It was very low but she caught it. Talise frowned. It made her sad that he thought he didn't need friends. Even the shittiest person had at least one friend. Her fear went away as she sat down and stared at his solemn form.

She waited for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Wh–What… are you talking about?"

He lifted his head, his eyes glaring at her even more. "It's obvious the Master's behind this. You're not fooling me."

Talise shook her head. "I'm not following any orders. Not the Master or anyone else." She then pushed the trays back to him and said, "If I was, I wouldn't have been working so hard during my breaks and after work–putting in sleepless hours trying to come up with a way to incorporate metal in food for you."

"You sure don't look it." he sneered.

"You'll be surprised at what makeup can hide." Before Gajeel could rebuttal, Talise lifted all four covers from the trays. "I didn't know whether you like sweet or savory, so I made both for you."

Gajeel stopped and was surprised. On the plates were various appetizers, finger food, cakes, and sweet bread. But what was shocked him was that it was all covered in metal. He looked at her, then at the food, and back. He'd never believe that metal could be shaped like real food.

His bewilderment made Talise smile. "Go on, try one."

The man gave her a cautious look before he took a metal onigiri. He took a whiff. It didn't smell like metal which confused him even more. Talise watched him with bated breath as he bit off half of the rice ball. Gajeel was taken aback with the taste of rice and salted salmon. It's been years since he tasted those flavors.

He was about to tell her off on how he ONLY ate metal, not real food when the onigiri in his mouth started tasting metallic. Not only that, he started feeling a small surge of power slowly go through him. It's as if he was eating regular metal.

Gajeel looked at the food, then at her weirdly. He couldn't believe what he was eating.

Talise slowly grew a smile. "Well?" she asked. "Do you like it?"

He quickly swallowed what he had in his mouth and asked, "How… did you do this?"

She had a cheeky grin. "With my magic of course." she teased. He gave her a dry look before helping himself to more of the metal food.

As Talise properly explained to him more about the food on the plates, nearby was Mirajane; watching them from the corner of her eye as she waited tables. A smile appeared on her face as the cook eagerly spoke to the frightening dragon slayer, who looked content eating her food.

It reminded her of the time she first made Natsu his own menu.

She was glad Talise was able to move past Gajeel's assault and be friendly with him. Mira sighed. Now if only the rest of the guild would follow suit.


	11. Even More Surprises

      It was barely eleven in the morning as Talise ran around the guild hall taking orders and serving drinks. She didn't mind closing the kitchen and filling in for Mirajane for the day. It gave her a bit of break after spending so much time and magic on Gajeel's menu, which was still a work in progress. But when she asked where Mira was going, the head waitress got coy and said, "I can't say. It's a surprise"; which made Talise very pale. The cook didn't think she could handle any more surprises, no matter how "generous" Mirajane was.

Talise sighed and began separating dirty mugs behind the bar. Her heart fluttered when Gray came out of nowhere and sat right in front of her. She smiled. It has been about a week since she's seen her favorite Ice Mage. If it wasn't for her busy schedule, she would've been in another blue slump from the lack of quality time with him.

She stopped what she was doing, grabbed a clean mug and said, "The usual, I presume."

Gray shook his head, which made Talise raise a brow. "How are you doing Tails?" he asked.

Talise grew nervous. She didn't know why he was so serious asking such a simple question. "I've… been busy," she said with another smile.

"So I heard." Gray eyed her again before he said, "You shouldn't waste your time cooking for that Phantom bastard." Talise lowered her smile. "He doesn't deserve anything from you. If anything, it's HIM that owes you."

She turned her gaze to the empty cup in her hands. Talise was afraid of looking at the Ice Mage dead in the eye for what she was about to say. "I–I… I know how you feel Gray… but that's all in the past–"

"You're far too kind Tails," he said aggressively. "He's gonna end up being like Laxus."

"No," she said shaking her head, "he and Laxus are different, besides–I've been thinking a lot about this–"

"Not enough if you're cooking for  _him_." he hissed.

Talise flinched. She knew he meant well, but his words hurt. If she had more energy she would've been fighting him back more on this. Sadly, she only had so little to argue with. Gray backed off when he saw Talise's expression. He didn't mean to be so aggressive with her but he needed to make his point clear with her.

"I'm sorry Tails," he muttered, "but I don't trust him." He then eyed the dragon slayer sitting alone on the second floor. "For all we know, he's here to cause trouble. We don't know when he'll turn his back on us–so it's best if you stay away, FAR away from him." Gray turned back to Talise and gave her a solemn look. "Next time, he could do more than leave a nasty bruise on your shoulder. I don't wanna see you end up in the hospital because of  _him_."

She froze. In the back of her mind, Talise cringed. Gray still didn't know that Gajeel had already done that. But she didn't have the guts to tell Gray; especially since it would make things a lot worse between him and Gajeel. If he was this aggressive with the Iron Dragon Slayer, who knows how the Ice Mage would be if he knew what he did to her. She shuddered. No, she didn't want to know.

The young woman calmed down when she felt a hand on her head.

"I don't want that to happen," Gray said sincerely. "You're too important to me Tails."

Talise blushed as he patted her head. She was enjoying his affection when a cold shiver went down her spine.

The stupid ghost was back.

She thought it was completely gone since it's been weeks since she last felt it. Talise tried ignoring it but it kept getting stronger with each pet Gray gave her. Her eyes shifted away and caught something… something that took her by surprise.

Across the room was Juvia, who was livid and giving her the most hateful glare anyone has ever received.

She held her breath.

No! Was Juvia her ghost?!

The Water Mage looked utterly ferocious–that was until Erza came up to her. Once she started talking to Juvia did she turn back to her sweet-self; like she wasn't trying to kill Talise with her eyes.

Talise blinked several times. She knew Juvia didn't like her. It was clear with the glares she's received as well as the cold attitude she's gotten from her. She didn't think Juvia was the evil spirit that was on her for days while she had any interaction with Gray.

Why?

Why does she hate her so much?

"You okay Tails?" Gray got concern with Talise making a lost face.

Her thoughts went away as she smiled back at him. "Yeah, I'm okay." He gave her another look before he left the matter alone.

Talise went rigid as Erza came by and started talking to Gray. She tried ignoring her fears as well as Juvia's glares. But it was all for naught. Her mind kept going back to Juvia and her immense hatred towards her.

"Will you be able to do it Talise?"

The cook was brought back by Erza, who was waiting patiently for her answer. Talise started to sweat. She didn't know what she asked for and was too scared to ask Erza to repeat herself. Gray sensed her trouble and came to her rescue.

"I'm not sure she can, Erza." He turned to Talise. "She's filling in for Mirajane for the day, right Tails?"

Erza looked at him then at Talise, oblivious to the cook's tensed nature. "Is that true?" Talise dumbly nodded, which made Erza sighed. "Then forget what I said. I'll order from one of the local bakeries then. I hope they can bake my usual amount as you do." she muttered.

Talise eased up a bit. So that's what she was asking about. Regardless if she paid attention, Gray was right. She would have no time to bake for the Armored Mage. With the new guild, she had even more responsibilities as wells as Mirajane's to see to at the end of the day. At best she'll get two hours of sleep before coming back in the morning to open the guild and get things ready for the day.

"I'll leave this to you, then," Erza said and placed a job request on the counter. "Let's go Gray."

The cook nodded vigorously again and took the piece of paper; filing it on her list of job request being taken. Talise went about her work again as Team Natsu came together at the guild entrance. What she didn't expect was Juvia running to them crying, "Please wait for Juvia, Gray-sama!"

The mug Talise had in her hands exploded into tiny pieces. She watched as Team Natsu left the guild, all except Juvia. The Water Mage stayed back to give Talise a taunting smirk before following the rest of the group.

Her brain finally got it.

She was in love with Gray too.

The cook's mind was in a whirl. How? When? So many questions were popping in her head at an alarming rate. She had no doubts Juvia was also after Gray's heart. Her hatred now made sense. A wave of hostility then washed over Talise. She gripped whatever pieces were left in her hand from the mug, tighter.

There was no way in hell she was going to give up the love of her life to  _her_.

* * *

      The next morning, Talise was in a crappy mood. She couldn't sleep at all last night. Her mind kept replaying Juvia and the way she ended Gray's name with sama. It pissed her off. So much that she almost didn't notice Mirajane's absence; making her in charge again.

It wasn't until ten in the morning when Mirajane finally came in and told everyone what the surprise she had was. A journalist from Sorceress Weekly was going to visit the guild to do a special article on Fairy Tail.

Talise cringed.

Her experiences with the magazine's journalists weren't great. Most of them were pushy and too overly energetic. She got that they were enthusiastic about their job and with the mages, they get to work with. But they sometimes crossed the line; especially if they were Alexander, Dax, or Jason. As long as it wasn't any of the three, she should be fine. She'd actually preferred if it was a new reporter, but the odds of that happening were very, very, very low.

She wasn't the only one anxious about the journalist coming.

Almost everyone was fretfully getting ready. Even Erza was nervous! She ran around in a beautiful purple dress with her hair up looking for makeup. That surprised Talise. She's never seen Erza looked so gorgeous before. She wasn't the only one. A large number of people had left then came back to the guild dressed up fancier than usual for the interview.

She would've found it funny that everyone was making a big deal. But her worry about who would be interviewing them caused her to be in the same boat as them. The only reaction she didn't get was Lucy's. The blonde freaked out when she found out about it and ran out of the guild at top speed.

Time ticked away as Talise man the bar. Mirajane wouldn't let her go hide in the kitchen. Instead, Mira asked (more like demanded) she kept the kitchen closed and waited tables with her.

She was putting away cleaned mugs when she heard someone cry out, "COOL! COOL! COOL!"

Talise dropped the cup she had and turned to the front. She covered her eyes and pretending that she didn't see who she saw. At the entrance was Jason, a scrawny blonde armed with a camera and a satchel. His whole being was filled to the brim with excitement as he spoke to Erza, who changed back to her usual outfit.

The cook ducked behind the counter as he turned her direction. She let out a small whine. Why couldn't they send someone else? Nooooo, it had to be Jason!

Mirajane came around and wasn't surprised to find the cook on the ground, muttering to herself. "There's no point in hiding Tali," she said with mirth. "He already knows you're here."

"I wonder how," Talise said with a glaring pout. "I can pretend to be sick and go home."

Mirajane chuckled, amused by her poor plan. "You know that won't work. He'll end up following you and interview you along the way. And knowing him, he'll want to visit Maple Lodge and do an exclusive article of your home." Talise's face went pale. "Do you really want that to happen?"

She shook her head furiously. The cook didn't want that. But she also didn't want to speak with Jason.

"Just answer his questions," Mira said. "I told him not to bring up any photo shoots or modeling jobs while talking to you." Talise pressed her lips together. It sounded like it should be fine, but when it came to Jason nothing was ever fine.

She stayed down for a few more minutes before she decided to come out of hiding. Talise jumped when the first thing she saw was Jason staring intently at her over the counter.

"CHEF FAIRY!" he cried at the top of his lungs.

Talise cringed and nervously smiled at him. "Jason," she said with a strained voice. "How are yo–?"

"Will you PLEASE re-consider doing gravure for our magazine!?"

Talise narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Mirajane, but she was gone. The waitress had left her alone with the overzealous reporter.

She was then startled by Jason, who took her hands and got closer to her. "You'll be perfect! More than ever with that new outfit you have on!" Talise groaned. She had yet another reason to hate Mira and her devious schemes. "We can do a photo shoot like that if ya want!" he said excitingly. "Or better yet–a swimsuit spread! Or better yet, why not both!?"

The cook did her best to keep herself calm, despite Jason's giddiness and punchable face. She was about to decline him when Gray came out of nowhere and separated him from her.

"What the hell did I tell you about grabbing Tails!?" he cried. Talise was relieved Gray came in to intervene. She didn't know how long she could keep it together. And if things couldn't get any "better", Talise could feel one of Juvia's death glares from far away.

Jason didn't take offense to Gray ruffling him up. Instead, his eyes grew bigger and yelled out, "GRAY!" He took out his pen and notepad and said, "Now that I have you–can you answer me this: why do you always take off your clothes?"

Gray got flustered and grabbed the front of Jason's shirt. "BASTARD! DON'T GO ASKING WEIRD QUESTIONS LIKE THAT!"

Talise's face went red when she saw Gray in only his boxers. She turned around and said, "GRAY! PANTS!"

The Ice Mage freaked out and let go of Jason. Natsu soon joined in, throwing a table and several benches in the air angrily. Jason turned his attention to the Fire Dragon Slayer, leaving Talise. She was super thankful for the pink idiot and his random outbursts.

Before she could take a breather, out of nowhere, Lucy was on stage wearing a hot pink bunny-girl outfit. Talise gapped as the blonde gathered everyone's attention. What she didn't expect was for her to be pushed off stage by Gajeel, who was dressed in a fancy white suit and sunglasses.

Talise's jaw went lower as he started singing and playing the guitar. Words escaped most of the guild. They didn't expect the former Phantom Lord mage to act in such a way.

The only ones even remotely supportive were Elfman, Juvia, Max, and Macao; all cheering him on. Everyone else started throwing things at Gajeel for his horrible performance. But that didn't matter to the dragon slayer. He continued to sing his Best Friend song.

She cringed. His singing wasn't the greatest, unlike his guitar playing. Talise was a bit impressed he had some skill with an instrument; given his appearance.

The song was cut short when Gajeel threw his guitar at Natsu, who insulting his singing. In less than three seconds, the two were at each other's throats; fists flying left and right. Talise's heart dropped as other people started yelling back and forth.

It then started.

Fists, kicks, plates, benches, and magic were thrown at everyone and anyone in every direction. Talise ducked behind the bar counter as a lamp-post headed her direction. The cook sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't think Natsu would start a guild fight in the new building so soon. They barely had the new guild for a month. He could at least give them another few weeks before he started knocking down walls.

The cook stopped stressing as Lucy and Happy came crawling behind the bar as well. She couldn't blame them. Leaving the building wasn't an option in a guild fight. Getting to the front door was more of a struggle than trying to avoid strayed projectiles in the room. The safest thing to do was to find cover and wait it out.

She would've liked to stay with them, but she couldn't. She had a kitchen to protect.

Talise stuck her head out and waited until there was any sort of clearing for her. As soon as she saw one, she rushed out of the bar.

She only took three steps when something hard and cold pushed her across the room. Talise winced as one of the beams stopped her from going any further. She tsked when she saw herself. Her bun was in disarray, with half of her hair coming out, and her entire right side was aching and wet. It didn't take a genius to figure out who hit her. But she didn't have time to get angry at her perpetrator as she ducked a large barrel coming at her head.

She got further away from the kitchen, which was the opposite of what she wanted.

The young woman yelped when one of Natsu's fire fists came at her too close for comfort. She tried running away but got tripped up by Elfman, who was lying on his side on the ground. Talise made use of his large body as a shield from several broken chairs coming at them. She didn't feel terrible that most of the damage went to Mirajane's little brother. He was a big guy and he was already out cold.

Talise had no choice but to stay with the large Mage as several fights were too close for comfort.

She growled and pulled the rest of her hair out of the bun; slowly frustrated that she was nowhere near her kitchen. She eyed the doorless entrance and fear went right through her.

Near her kitchen was Droy, who was in a headlock by another mage. She watched as he tried to pull away but couldn't. At that moment his hand went to the containers on his chest and opened one of them. Talise screamed  _"NO!"_ , and jumped over Elfman's body.

She ducked, jumped, and rolled over several projectiles and mages–trying to get to her kitchen as quickly as she could. As Droy was about to drop his plant seeds Talise kicked his attacker's side as hard as she could.

The mage went tumbling with Droy to the back of the bar. Talise panted as a loud  _BOOM_  was made and several vines entrapped the bar, along with a few mages. Adrenaline was rushing through her body. Without thought, she picked up a stray tray and swung at a glass cup coming at her.

She kept swinging away at cups, half a chair, plates, and medium-sized fireball before someone else pushed her. Talise growled and used her tray to hit Jet upside the head, knocking him out. She wasn't letting ANYONE destroy her precious kitchen!

No matter who it was!

* * *

      It took several hours for the guild fight to stop. Talise was surprised that Master Makarov or Erza wasn't able to stop it like usual. Mira told her the master was too depressed and ended up crying in a corner. Erza, on the other hand, was fighting in the fray. Over what the cook didn't know but it was more important than stopping the mess Natsu and Gajeel had started.

But at least justice was brought down by the master. Both dragon slayers were banned from taking any jobs until they fixed the damages. All under Talise's watch.

Talise thought it was fair. But in the following days, she'd realized how much of a punishment it was for her than for them. They were more of a nuisance than actual help. If she wasn't in the same room as the two they would end up right back at each other's throats. This was taking time away from repairing the guild and giving Talise more trouble.

It took a week, and another guild fight between the two, for the master to see this. He ended up extending their ban for the rest of the month. Natsu, who was beyond angry, took it out on Gajeel, who in turn retaliated.

They got a few punches in until Erza stopped it. By punching Natsu in the gut, further stopping any more damage that had to be fixed. In the end, Natsu was banned from requests for a full month and wasn't allowed to come to the guild for a week.

Master Makarov was surprisingly lenient with Gajeel. He was still banned from jobs, but he still had to help Talise as a busboy along with finishing the repairs on the guild.

Everyone, except Gray, got a laugh at the ex-Phantom member cleaning up after them. Of course, he opposed. He didn't like that Gajeel was in such close proximity to Talise. At least with Natsu, he knew nothing would happen to her. But now only he was there from start to the end of her shifts–alone for the majority of the time.

And because of this Gray stopped doing job requests; at least that was his plan.

Regardless of Natsu's absence, Team Natsu still went on missions by Erza's order. She thought it would teach the pink haired idiot even more if he saw them doing missions without him. But that didn't stop him from hovering over the two whenever he had time off between jobs.

Talise didn't mind too much.

What she did mind was the unwelcomed fourth person, glaring at her from afar.

She knew Gray didn't like Gajeel helping her; it was evident with his babysitting. But she didn't think she had to deal with Juvia's death glares as well as.

Talise was very surprised by Gajeel's attitude with Gray. Not once did he ever argue back with the Ice Mage. He concentrated on the jobs she gave him and did them well. In all her life she'd never felt so horrible for her ice prince's actions.

By the end of the week, she had enough.

"That's it!" she cried. Gajeel looked up from the sink as well as Gray who was sitting on the counter nearby.

Gray thought she was going to go to Mira or the master; move Gajeel's punishment to someone else instead of her. He smirked and thought it was about time Talise got irritated by the asshole. His smugness shrank when she stood in front of him.

Talise frowned at Gray and pointed to the doorless door. He and Gajeel made a face; they didn't know what she meant.

She pushed her arm and pointed further to the door. "Out!"

Gray was speechless. "Wha–?"

"I'm getting tired of this nonsense. You have no reason–" Gray rebutted but Talise shut him down. "No, Gray. You don't." Her face softened up and she went closer to him and whispered. "I appreciate the thought but you have to believe in me when I say he isn't going to do anything to me."

Gray looked at her and then glared at the dragon slayer holding a soapy mug.

"Please." she pleaded. "Do this for me."

He looked back at her and held her stare for a while. He pushed back a growl before he grabbed and hugged her tightly to him. In a light whisper, he told her, "For you. But you yell my name or Mira's as loud as you can the moment he does something wrong–no matter where you are, okay."

Gray let her go and with one more glare sent to the dragon slayer, he stepped out of the kitchen.

Talise stood rooted in her place for a moment before she turned to Gajeel, who was in a bit of shock. Her face still red from Gray's impromptu hug, she looked down and muttered, "S–Sorry. Gray isn't really a bad person, b–but I apologize for the way he's been treating you."

Gajeel was quiet as she cleared her throat and went back to prepping for the lunch hour. A strong feeling stirred in him. It was big and unknown. He ignored it and went back to the dishes but not before whispering, "Thank you."

She picked it up. Talise was hesitant to look back at him. So instead, she nodded.

The rest of Gajeel's punishment was smooth sailing.

With Gray gone, the two were able to talk civilly. Gajeel was less threatening to Talise; the more she was around him. She was even able to find out that the dragon slayer had a love for music. And that it was Juvia's idea to showcase his skills and give a token of friendship to the guild by writing a song for them. Talise was a bit surprised and touched that that was what he wanted from his performance a few weeks ago.

It was a pity that it all went awry, but at least there was a silver lining to it. He actually got one person to see that he was actually a good guy.

As for Gajeel, he was slightly happier.

He'd never felt so refreshed. It was like someone had taken off a giant load off of his shoulders, it was liberating. Of course, he was still cautious of the situation. But the time they had together was the first time he's ever felt like he belonged in the guild.

But all that fell apart on Gajeel's last day.

A bitter cloud hovered over the dragon slayer when he came into the guild that morning. It didn't take Talise long to notice that something was wrong. He was moodier with the guild members and a lot colder to her. She could only guess that someone had pissed him off, more than usual with how he was acting.

Talise sighed. She didn't want his last day with her to end in such a bad mood. She just hoped the little surprise she planned for Gajeel would put him in a better mood… or it could all go up in flames. The cook could only wait for the outcome as things got busy in the kitchen and in the guild.

For the most part, Gajeel had spent most of the day outside the kitchen. Every time he came back Talise somehow had something else for him to do outside. He wouldn't have minded it if he wasn't in a pissed off mood, blinding him with unnecessary irritation.

It started to look like she didn't want him near her.

That started to gnaw at Gajeel. Sure he was biting everyone's head off who was looking at him for even a second. And was sort of giving Talise the cold shoulder. But deep in the pit of his stomach, he didn't want this. Nor did he want his punishment to end.

He started looking forward to going to the guild, knowing that he wasn't going to be alone.

Part of him knew he had to suck it up and stop being an asshole. But he didn't know how to undo what he started. He was sad, pissed, and confused. And all that boiled down to the only thing he knew best to act upon, anger.

After the dinner rush, Mira had to head out early with her brother. That left Talise in charge of locking up with Gajeel. They did the usual, with Gajeel taking the large task of sweeping and mopping all three floors.

Gajeel decided to take his time on the first and second floor before getting to the basement. During his cleaning, he reflected his time with Talise and tried to figure out how to apologize to the cook. She didn't deserve his attitude today; especially since she was nothing but kind to him. The bitter cloud was slowly dissipating.

When he finished he turned off the lights to the basement and trudged back upstairs. After putting the cleaning equipment away he made his way to the bar.

There he was staggered with what he saw.

Talise was out of uniform and in her regular outfit. On the bar's counter there several pink boxes and two long crates. Gajeel blinked. He didn't know if he was hallucinating from the fumes of the cleaning products. He approached her and gave her a puzzling look.

She smiled sheepishly, "I–I know today wasn't the best for you. But I wanted to make it up to you–as well as thanking you for your hard work for the past month." She grabbed one of the boxes and held it out to him.

Gajeel gave her a look but nonetheless took the mystery box. He opened it and saw various pieces of metal, but to Gajeel's sensitive nose he knew they weren't real. There were small lingering smells of oats, sugar, and icing.

"I made you some food and sweets. I also gathered all the remaining scraps of metal we don't need," she said, patting one of the crates. "You can take it all home." Gajeel was silent. The cloud completed disappeared. He felt unprepared as a wave of emotion wash over him. His mind was blanking out. He's never felt like this.

Talise waited patiently, whether he was going to blow up on her or not. So far he hasn't as he staring at the box of cookies in his hands.

After a few minutes, his red eyes locked on to hers. His face loosened the hardness that was always there. It was then replaced with exhaustion. It wasn't out of irritation but an odd soft tone of endearment. He then gave her something she'd never think to see: a sincere smile.

"Th–Thank you Talise… not just for the food, you know," he said softly. "Your kindness has really helped me this past month… but the way I was today. I–I'm sorry about that."

Talise gave him a smile of her own. Without thinking she placed her hand on his and said, "Don't worry about that, I forgive you."

A dust of pink colored Gajeel's face as his chest constricted again with a strong feeling. He couldn't think again.

He could only nod dumbly as she gave him another smile.


End file.
